The Secret Language
by SachiNyoko
Summary: Harry Potter crossover. They were mysterious and reclusive. They were beautiful, but hidden in the shadows. Yet they were extremely powerful, and perhaps the last chance for the survival of Hogwarts. ::No centered character, all senshi play major roles::
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: **They were mysterious and reclusive. They were beautiful, but hidden in the shadows. Yet they were extremely powerful, and perhaps the last chance for the survival of Hogwarts.

_The Secret Language_

**By Sachinyoko**

**xXx**

"Lady, would you like me to--" The young woman shook her head at the question, her short locks of hair swayed with the motion. She brought her finger up to her lips delicately, a silent gesture for the speaker to be quiet. The large intimidating being bowed with its top half, that of a human; from the end of his waist, the creature's body extended into the form of a palomino horse.

"They will be here soon, Firenze," the female spoke, her eyes trained onto the darkness of the forest. The moonlight barely penetrated the thick foliage of the trees around them, but the little bit of light illuminated her pale skin in an ethereal glow, and caught her eyes, making them shimmer like two jewels in the night.

At her side stood the creature she referred to as Firenze. The half horse, half man, also known as a centaur, glanced around with some impatience. Otherwise, though, his blue eyes appeared placid and calm. His white locks of hair rested carelessly against his shoulders, partially blocking the view off his face, and reflecting the moonlight back vibrantly.

On her opposing side stood another centaur, his annoyance more blatant in his hooves that stomped restlessly against the earth. His black hair fell even longer than Firenze's white mane, and he frowned as the lady looked at him, a smile gently touching her face. "Are you bored, Bane?"

"Frustrated," he grunted, turning his gaze the other way. She giggled a pretty, melodic sound that resounded all around them. Both centaurs tensed as another form dropped from a tree limb above them, landing crouched in front of the young woman. Rising, amusement shown in her glowing violet eyes as she looked between the two centaurs flanked at her friend's sides.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Ami." As she declared her apology, another bundle came down from the tree, this one much smaller. The shadow landed on the newcomer's shoulder and stretched out its limbs, revealing itself as a phoenix. The woman, identified as Ami, reached her hand out and delicately stroked the bright plumage of the bird before she smiled.

"No, you're actually the first to arrive." The other girl rolled her eyes at this, flipping locks of her dark hair over her shoulder. Turning to the phoenix, she muttered something gently under her breath. With a soft noise, the bird stretched its wings and flew, disappearing immediately in the dark forest.

"Not true. I've been here for a while," The four turned as a small girl stepped from the shadows, her hand caressing the muzzle of a dark horse. Well, it actually did not much resemble a horse. Its whole body appeared skeletal, with leathery bat-type wings folded at its sides, and its eyes shone pure white, blank and unseeing. The shorter girl standing at its side kept her hand placed on the creature's nose, and her other arm curled around its neck. She looked to be holding onto the horse-like being for protection, or perhaps comfort.

"Good evening, Hotaru. I haven't seen you around." Ami said pleasantly. "Have you, Rei?" She turned to the other girl, who shook her head as a negative response, her eyes never leaving the black horse at the girl's, Hotaru's, side.

"A pack of Thestrals were attacked in the South. I've been helping." Hotaru replied quietly, her indigo eyes traveling over Rei's almost identical shade. "Makoto is coming now."

"Hey everyone," After the words left the smaller girl's lips, the brunette appeared into the small clearing. Her deep green eyes crinkled into a smile as she looked around at them, wavy brunette hair lying over her shoulders. Though usually pulled up into a ponytail, the brown locks were partially hiding a small, silver creature curled on her shoulders, around the back of her neck.

"How cute," Rei commented, as the tiny reptilian creature poked its head out of its hiding place to observe the new people. The sound of her voice startled it, and it retreated back against Makoto's neck.

"She's just a baby. I wanted her to get out some; she's been cooped up with her mother. Her name is Kaida. I got to name her, can you tell?" Makoto smiled enthusiastically. Ami and Rei returned the expression.

"Is she a Swedish Short-Snout or an Antipodean Opaleye?" Ami asked, smiling as the baby dragon stuck her head out warily again.

"The latter," the brunette replied. She then turned her head and whispered something to the dragon. The silvery creature seemed to relax as she spoke, and Makoto then turned back to the group, "I thought I was late but it looks as though we're still missing some people."

"No, just one," they all turned once again to greet the newcomers, two women who appeared behind Hotaru. She looked up and smiled at them, her face lit up with emotion for the first time that night. Her arms left the Thestral at her side to hug each of them.

"Hello Haruka, Michiru," Ami greeted. The woman on the left nodded back; her teal colored hair hung to her shoulders, wet with moisture. The other woman's hair, short and sandy blonde, was also visibly wet.

"Of course, it's just like her to be late," Rei said shortly, looking slightly exasperated. Makoto chuckled at this, and the others also smiled.

"Now Rei, that's not very nice. At least make fun of me while I'm here," the voice that sounded around them echoed with laughter, and they all turned to the final person to show up. Her blue eyes were shining happily as she observed the whole group of them. "Everyone, it's so wonderful to see you all together again."

"Meatball Head," Rei mocked, but her face spread into a smile as she hugged her best friend. Indeed, her blonde hair sported two buns on either side of her head, with streamers pouring down from them. "It's been too long, Usagi."

"Yes, I'm sorry. Things have been quite hectic, and Chibiusa has started her training with Helios and the unicorns. She couldn't make it tonight, sorry Hotaru," Usagi turned to the black haired girl with an apologetic smile, but Hotaru shook her head, brushing the apology off.

"Oh," Makoto gasped as Kaida, the baby dragon, burrowed fiercely against her neck, hiding once more in her wavy hair. The two centaurs beside Ami looked nervous, their hooves stamping lightly on the ground. Even the Thestral aside Hotaru became agitated, throwing its head from side to side, until the girl placed her hand on its muzzle and muttered something. The source of this sudden tension stood at Usagi's side, and subconsciously the group glanced at the full moon.

"Usagi, I didn't know you were bringing," Rei paused, hesitating. She'd already taken a few steps back from her friend and the fierce creature beside her, whose glowing eyes were fixated on her. "I didn't know he was coming with you."

"It's alright," Usagi said as she kneeled next to the four legged beast. The slight hurt apparent in her expression showed that it wasn't as alright as she claimed, but she said nothing. The werewolf growled until she lightly touched the top of his head and smiled. "Fenrir, could you please wait for me at the south end of the forest?"

Fenrir reluctantly complied, turning and dashing off into the trees. After a moment's silence, a howl echoed throughout the whole forest, which made the placid look on the blonde's face pucker into a frown. Replacing it with a light smile, she turned back to the group and said, "I'm sorry, I should've known you'd be uncomfortable. I just didn't want to travel alone. Now, Ami has called us all here, right?"

"Yes," Ami replied, and the tension over them eased at her soft tone. Her blue eyes traveled around the clearing, observing, but also looking tentative. Finally, she took in a relaxing breath and said, "As you know, Voldemort has planned an attack against Hogwarts. Spies in his ranks have reported this to the Order of the Phoenix." Rei scowled at the name, but Ami continued speaking, "I called everyone here because Dumbledore has contacted me through Firenze. He knows of our existence, and he has requested our help to protect Hogwarts."

After the brief instance of shock, the hot-tempered Rei reacted first. Clucking her tongue with disgust, she snapped, "I cannot believe he has the gall. After how the wizarding world has treated us, what makes him think we'll do anything to help them? Besides, phoenixes aren't meant to fight."

"I've already broken the werewolves ties with Voldemort. There is no possible way I could ask them to now fight against him. They've lost so much already, and the wizarding world has been just as unkind to them. If not, more so," Usagi said softly, her voice thick with emotion. Even as she said this, her eyes watered, and she looked above her to the full moon.

Hotaru spoke next, her tone of voice sounding oddly harsh, "Wizards do nothing but exploit Thestrals for their own trivial use and gain. I see no reason why I should implore them to fight for them as well."

"Merpeople do not meddle with the affairs of humans or wizards. They prefer to stay neutral, and I could not ask them such a thing." Michiru said softly. At her side, Haruka nodded her assent to the statement.

"As with Hotaru, wizards hunt down dragons for their hides and whatever else. They don't deserve the help of the dragons. I wouldn't even consider asking them." Makoto almost sneered, but she stopped herself. Kaida shivered with fear on her shoulder, and she reached her hand up to place on the dragon's head to comfort her. Ami held up her hand to stop their comments, her face anxious.

"Yes, I knew you would respond that way. You understand that centaurs do not associate with wizards either and I would not want them to fight. I asked you because Hogwarts is filled with innocent children. They should not have to die.

"Dumbledore is a good man, I believe that. Please, he has asked to meet with everyone tomorrow along with several members of his Order. At least listen to what he has to say. If we ignore and shun them, then we become the same as the people who did that to us," Ami bowed her head, her voice full of passion. Firenze placed a hand against her shoulder, and she reached her own slender hand up to rest against his, smiling appreciatively at him.

"I will go, and hear what he has to say," Usagi agreed first, though her gaze was far off through the trees, where another howl reverberated around them. Another tentative silence followed her statement, before Rei sighed and agreed as well. Hotaru followed, before Michiru and Haruka. They all turned to Makoto, who still sported a deep frown. Feeling she was defeated, however, her expression crumpled into resignation.

"Fine, I'll go. But I am not going to change my mind." The green eyed girl spoke the last part with fierce determination. Ami nodded, before she smiled wholeheartedly at each of them.

"Thank you all. We should meet here tomorrow before dusk, and we will go up to the castle when it gets dark. There were no specifications, but I think we should go alone, meaning no accompanying friends." She added the last part with apprehension, glancing surreptitiously at Usagi.

"I have to go, Fenrir is getting restless. Goodbye everyone, I'll see you tomorrow." Usagi walked around the clearing, giving each person a hug before she ran into the forest, her speed inhuman. The group of them stood for a while, talking to each other, until slowly everyone dispersed, leaving only Ami and the two centaurs, Bane and Firenze.

"Are you sure this is for the best, Lady Ami?" Firenze asked softly once Rei finally disappeared from the darkness of the Forbidden Forest. Ami kept her blue eyes aimed straight ahead, full of worry and fear. Softly, she shook her head no.

"I am not sure. I do know that I have seen the destruction of Hogwarts in my dreams, and they are rarely wrong. If we don't help the wizarding world, everything will be lost. I just don't know what of ours will be lost if we do help." Ami suddenly looked exhausted. Bane helped her onto Firenze's back, and she dozed off with her head nested in his white hair while they headed back toward their home.

**xXx**

"Hotaru!" The two young girls embraced, the one with cotton candy pink hair laughing happily. She had only just landed with Helios, now reverted back to his human form, and had immediately jumped down to greet her best friend. Usagi also came with them, and she now smiled as she watched the two chat, Hotaru looking much happier in the presence of the other girl.

"I'm not last today," the blonde observed, smiling over at Ami.

"Yes, you've actually beat Rei here. She'll be devastated." Makoto joked. Her green eyes twinkled as she smiled, flipping her ponytail over her shoulder. The dragon from the previous night was now missing. Michiru and Haruka also stood off to the side, speaking quietly with each other. Usagi smiled as she noticed their hands entwined, and their close proximity to each other.

"I don't think devastated is quite the word. More like, stunned beyond all belief," Rei dropped down from the tree above the group, grinning mischievously. Usagi huffed, as though offended, and the two had a mock glaring contest for a moment while the others looked on, amused.

"It's time for us to go," Ami announced quietly, and they all silenced. The whole atmosphere around them shifted to solemn as they walked out of the forest. Without conferring on the matter, they had all worn hooded cloaks with the exception of Chibiusa and Helios, and they simultaneously pulled the hoods tight over their heads as they ascended the stone staircase to the Hogwarts castle.

Ami, in the lead, reached her pale hand up to knock on the large door. Almost instantaneously, the door pulled inward and a man appeared in the entrance. His dark eyes looked over the strange group, nearly all wearing cloaks with hoods covering their faces. Still he looked as though he had expected them, for he pushed the door open further and beckoned them inside. "I am Severus Snape, and Dumbledore asked me to escort you to his office."

"Thank you, Severus." Ami said, nodding her head. The man known as Severus didn't reply, just turned and walked across the stone Entrance Hall, leaving them to follow. Rei muttered something about his rudeness to Usagi, who giggled softly before she motioned for her to be quiet. No one said anything else as they navigated the many halls of the large castle. Finally, Severus came to a halt in front of a stone gargoyle.

As they filed up the spiral staircase, Ami felt her anxiousness hit her full force. Her stomach did somersaults inside her, and she entered the room at the top of the stairs visibly tense, if it weren't for the cloak she wore.

Immediately she located the familiar form of Albus Dumbledore seated at his desk. On the left side of him stood a man that looked roughly the same age as Severus, only he had fair hair to Severus's dark, and his eyes were much kinder. On his right side stood a man with messy red hair, who looked very exhausted. Severus walked over and stood to the side of the desk.

"A werewolf," the softly spoken words would never have been heard if the room weren't silent. Usagi, the speaker, pulled her hood down, letting her twin streamers of hair spill down her back from where she'd tucked them away. Her blue eyes were wide and transfixed on the man to Dumbledore's left. The man in question looked somewhat abashed as he stared back, but Albus Dumbledore smiled.

"Yes, I thought that you would recognize that. You must be Usagi. I am Albus Dumbledore, and this is Remus Lupin. You've met Severus, already, and the man to my right is Arthur Weasley. I am honored to welcome you all here to Hogwarts." The elderly man stood, his blue eyes twinkling animatedly over his half moon spectacles while he held out his arms in an open, hospitable fashion. The werewolf identified as Remus Lupin glanced at Albus, his confusion blatant in his expression.

"I am Ami," the girl pulled her hood down, revealing her short blue hair and kind eyes. Turning, she glanced at the group assembled behind her expectantly. Though some more reluctant than others, they all lowered their hoods as well. "The blonde is Usagi, as you said. Beside her is her daughter, Chibiusa, then Helios and Hotaru. Then there's Michiru, Haruka, Makoto, and Rei."

Ami trailed off, as the raven haired girl had disappeared from her previous spot. Her blue eyes finally located her, standing next to a perch that sat off to the side of the office. A phoenix sat there, the obvious reason Rei had walked over in the first place. Her hand reached over to brush against its head as she smiled, whispering to the bird softly. Albus looked on this spectacle, staying silent, his eyes still twinkling.

"I believe you called us here for a reason," Makoto said, her voice rather snappish. Albus turned back to her, nodding his head. Rei didn't rejoin them, and didn't seem to be listening when the elderly man started talking. She stayed where she stood; apparently more interested in her conversation with Fawkes the phoenix.

"Yes, well as I've told Ami already, there is a planned attack on Hogwarts by Voldemort's forces."

"Why don't you just close the school and evacuate. If you know he's going to attack, it makes no sense to keep the children here." This time, it was Haruka who spoke. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she glared, but her expression changed back to indifferent as Michiru placed a gentle hand on her arm.

"We plan to move the children to safety once the attack commences, but this is an opportunity to weaken Voldemort's forces considerably. With the way this war is shaping up, it could be a deciding factor on who wins and who loses." Albus paused, his expression serious, "I know that the wizarding world has not been kind to you in the past. I'm not asking any favors. But please understand that if Voldemort wins this war, it means destruction and death for everyone, including you."

"I will." Everyone turned, surprised, to the raven haired girl that stood aside. Her violet eyes flickered like flames as she looked at Albus, her lips curved into a smile at the shock her friends showed her. They figured if anyone would be hard to convince, it would be Rei. "Fawkes told me much of you, Albus Dumbledore. Any wizard who can earn the respect and companionship of a phoenix has my respect as well."

"I will speak to the Merpeople, then." Michiru conceded. Her aqua eyes captured Albus's in a confident gaze as she went on, "But I will say now, it is up to them whether they assist you. I will not make them fight."

"Fair enough," Albus replied pleasantly, nodding.

"I have to decline." They turned toward Usagi, yet again surprised. Rei accepted this offer easily and Usagi just as quickly declined? Things did seem to be quite backwards. "You understand that I can't even approach Fenrir with such a proposal." The blonde glanced at Remus; he had flinched at the name. "I think it's fair to say I've done my part with making the werewolves neutral, and I will not risk anyone else being killed at the hands of Voldemort."

"I decline as well," Makoto said, drawing the attention from the pigtailed blonde. Her green eyes glistened with inner anger as she continued, "Wizards do nothing but disrespect and kill dragons. They do not deserve their assistance. I will consider fighting with you myself, but only in support to my friends."

"As you know, I've already spoken with the centaurs." Ami said, sending an anxious glance at the mixed group. "We agree your intentions are just, and the cause is common for us all. We've decided to help defend Hogwarts and the forest where we live."

"I will ask the Unicorns," Chibiusa spoke up, looking up at Helios anxiously. He only smiled, nodding his head to show his consent. Chibiusa turned back to the old wizard, smiling brightly. "I'm sure they will help."

"Then I will help as well," Hotaru announced quietly, smiling slightly as Chibiusa beamed at her, "I will have to travel to confer with other Thestrals, but I'm sure they will be more than willing. Voldemort sought out their allegiance, and when they refused he attacked their homes. They will want revenge, I'm sure."

"I want to thank you all, on behalf of myself, the Order, and wizards everywhere fighting Voldemort." Albus walked around his desk and bowed to the assembled females, plus Helios. "I hope you all reconsider to help, if you've declined, but I would understand if you didn't. Know that you are all welcome here at Hogwarts at any time."

After a few moments, they began to file out. Rei stopped and asked Albus if she could come again to visit Fawkes. "He's very intelligent, and he knows a lot. I'd like to talk with him again."

"Of course. You are welcome any time," Albus smiled. Rei nodded before she too turned to leave. Only the blonde remained in the room, the one called Usagi, and her eyes that had been on Remus nearly the whole time finally moved to Albus.

"I'd like to speak with Remus Lupin for a moment, if that's okay." She didn't specify who it should've been okay with, but Albus nodded his consent. Remus, though he looked uneasy, followed the blonde to stand outside of the office. The others had already descended the staircase and waited in the hall for her. "Remus Lupin. Fenrir told me of you once. He's the one who bit you, right?"

"Yes," Remus answered. He seen no reason not to answer the question, but his face was set in a pronounced frown. He'd heard rumor of a female who traveled with the werewolves, but he thought it to be a lie. Could this petite blonde really be the one they spoke of?

A soft smile lit up her face, and for some reason, Remus found that her happiness affected him. Her hand reached out and touched his arm, and he nearly jumped back. A warm sensation spread from the end of her fingertips all the way through his body, until the exhaustion he had felt from the full moon started to dissipate. Finally, she spoke again. "Fenrir has changed. He's much kinder now."

"I find that hard to believe." Remus breathed, still in total shock. Usagi finally retracted her hand, and though his exhaustion didn't return, he felt unusually cold at the loss of contact. Why did she have such an effect on him? She giggled, drawing his attention back to her.

"It's because you're a werewolf. And no, I can't read your thoughts, but your expression is pretty obvious," laughing again, she waved goodbye and walked down the stairs without another word.

**xXx**

Remus walked back into Dumbledore's office, closing the door softly behind him. He still looked visibly shaken, but he eased down into one of the chairs regardless and listened attentively to the conversation.

"If we had the dragons on our side, it would be an almost guaranteed victory. Someone should try to convince that girl to join the fight," Severus commented from his position to the left side of the room, leaning against the wall. He looked bothered by the whole ordeal, and glared absently at the portraits on the walls. The glare was justified, because they kept wandering between each other's frames and talking animatedly about the strange girls that had visited the office; so uncivilized for previous Hogwarts headmasters.

"We cannot force any of them to do anything," Albus said from a separate corner of the room. Pressing the tip of his wand against his temple, he extracted a thin strand of silver and placed into the basin full of the silver liquid known as Pensieve. An image of the group of girls swirled in the substance before it turned back to its original silver. "When they were children, they were scorned for their strange abilities and viewed as dark witches. It's no surprise that they're reluctant to help us. Perhaps I should ask Hagrid to talk with her. He is most avid of dragons."

"I could ask Charlie," Arthur spoke suddenly. He of course referred to his second oldest son who worked with dragons, and whose team provided the dragons for the Triwizard Tournament. "He's more her age, and I'm sure he'd be interested in meeting her." He paused, smiling fondly. "A girl who can talk with dragons; he'll be absolutely batty."

"Yes, perhaps you're right," Albus agreed, chuckling. "If he's not busy with the Order, you should invite him here. Then there's also Usagi and the werewolves. She doesn't even want to ask. I'm sure she feels somewhat the same as Makoto with the dragons. Werewolves have never been treated kindly by wizards."

"Perhaps Remus could make himself useful," Snape sneered from his place against the wall and turned his attention toward Albus, who extracted another memory to place into his Pensieve.

"I could try," Remus said slowly, his face warped into a frown. They conceded to end the meeting, each going their separate ways, but none forgetting the strange girls as they settled into sleep that night.

**Xx Chapter Fin xX**

I am just sitting in front of my computer giggling insanely. At one point I looked and the word count was 1700, then suddenly I checked again and it was over 4000. I decided this would be a suitable stopping point. I know what you're thinking. Okay, you may be thinking. _Where the heck are Minako, Setsuna, and Mamoru?_ All in due time, all in due time.

So I will be writing a story with all the senshi equally major characters. I'm really excited. By the way, I'd put the senshi in their early to mid twenties, except Michiru and Haruka closer to thirty, and Hotaru and Chibiusa are fifteen. I called them small because they're both short. :) Also, to note, I got a lot of helpful information for this story on Wikipedia, such as the types of dragons. If you ever need Harry Potter reference, I recommend that site.

I've promised to complete Forbidden Dreams within the next three months. It is a promise. I will do it if it kills me, which I doubt it will. The next chapter is almost ready. But please review this; I need to know if I should continue. The first chapter is such and easy point to stop and drop a story.

Anyway, the pairings I'm considering so far are Ami/Severus (I don't like Severus all that much but I do like a challenge) or possibly Ami/Firenze; Makoto/Charlie (this one is almost definite if I do continue); Hotaru/Harry or Hotaru/Draco (I'm not sure. I don't think Harry and Hotaru would go well together, but I can't really see her with Draco either? Any other suggestions?); Chibiusa/Harry or Chibiusa/Helios (The second one is so tempting); Usagi/Remus (This one is pretty definite too. Yes I will explain Mamoru later. Geez.)

So, should I go on? Hmm. I'll decide depending on the response. After all, I'm going to busy trying to work on other stories, so if there's really no enthusiasm I'd just be wasting my time. I'll stop blathering now. x3

♥SachiNyoko♥


	2. Chapter 2

"They've refused," the woman floated serenely above the bottom of the lake; her teal hair danced around her face in synchronization with the movement of the waters. Her eyes, a few shades darker than her hair, fixed on the back of the person to whom she spoke, holding a bit of anxiousness. A silken, ocean blue material wrapped around her top half, still leaving a generous section of her midriff exposed, and the bottom half presented a teal colored mermaid tail.

"Did you expect different, Michi?" The one addressed turned toward Michiru, her expression poignant. The top half of her attire burnished a golden hue, reminiscent of her hair color, and her tail glittered a dark, navy blue as it flickered among the seaweed. Michiru softly shook her head, a smile of vague sadness curving her pink lips.

"Not exactly, Ruka. It was painful, though, my words being completely disregarded. Such things make me feel small, helpless," she confessed, her arms folding delicately around her small form. Haruka moved forward, pulling her companion into an embrace.

"It's not your fault. The Merpeople have always regarded the affairs of wizards the same. They fear meddling or associating themselves with the evils that Voldemort presents. Nothing you will say, no matter how true, will affect their resolve. Don't be hard on yourself." The smile spread across Michiru's face, radiating appreciation and affection.

"Thank you."

**xXx**

_Dear Sister,_

_Hello! What has everyone been up to? I miss you all very much. We've retaken the group captured by those Bulgarians, I'm happy to report. _

_Hopefully I'll be returning home soon, if the inquiry in Romania goes over smoothly._

_I've heard Ami called on me the other day, but I can't figure out what for? I hope everything is all right over there._

_I'd love to write more, but I barely had the free time to write this to you. I can't wait to see you again!_

_All my love,_

_Minako_

Usagi smiled lightly as she refolded the parchment and tucked it away in her things. Turning her blue eyes toward the field before her, she watched contentedly as Chibiusa chased after the Pegasus known as Helios. Pink locks of hair, usually pulled into cone shaped buns, hung free down her back. As she ran, the wind lifted the locks of hair, reminiscent of a horse galloping against the wind with its mane whipping wildly behind it.

The owl that delivered Minako's letter nipped her hand gently, and she broke off a piece of the sandwich she brought for lunch to give to the fowl. He hooted a soft thankful noise before flying away. Usagi leaned back against the tree she sat under, still watching her daughter. Finally her attention strayed to the man who sat at her side. He'd nodded off a while before, and his wild locks of gray colored hair fell over his face, over the closed eyes she knew to be a golden color.

_Fenrir, what would you say if I did ask this favor of you? You've already changed so much for me; you've given me a home, and accepted me as one of your own. I couldn't possibly ask more. _Her own blue eyes drifted closed for a moment, before she reopened them and turned toward the bag at her side. Digging out a piece of parchment and her quill, she placed the parchment on her bent knees and dipped the tip of her quill in the vial of black ink.

_Dearest Minako,_

_I've just seen everyone myself last night, and they all seem to be doing very well, as I hope you are. I'm glad to hear of your success and hope you return home very soon. We all miss you very much, and Chibiusa has been asking of you increasingly lately._

_Ami called us together to meet with the headmaster of Hogwarts. He requested our assistance in the war._

_Rei and Ami have already agreed to help. Chibiusa has asked the Unicorns and they've pledged themselves to the cause. I'm also fairly certain Hotaru will get the support of the Thestrals. Even Haruka and Michiru are going to pursue the Merpeople for their help._

_Only Makoto and I have refused. I believe Hotaru agreed in her fear for Chibiusa's safety. Michiru surely knows the Merpeople will reject the offer. _

_The most perplexing thing, however, is that Ami asked me and Chibiusa to contact Setsuna. I don't know what I should do._

_I'm sorry; I don't mean to worry you. Please have a safe trip._

_Love,_

_Usagi_

**xXx**

Closing her eyes, the young woman concentrated for a moment. The reward, moments later, occurred as her feet lifted gently from the ground and she rose into the sky. Around her glided a large, beautiful bird of red and gold plumage. She circled her charge in steady pattern, following the raven haired girl's movements closely. Suddenly, her violet eyes opened wide and the ground began moving swiftly toward her.

Reacting with lightning speed, the phoenix swooped down and clenched her talons firmly around Rei's shoulders, though not so roughly to beckon pain. Gently, she lowered the girl toward the earth, as she sighed with her frustration.

"Thank you Aideen." The phoenix landed in front of her, tilting its head. Rei kept her violet eyes on the bird, attentively, as though she were listening to it, before she smiled softly. To anyone watching them, it would've appeared that the raven haired girl began to sing. "Yes, you're probably right. I'm pushing myself too hard. I'm just so worried about this war, now that we're being drawn into it. My sight of the future is too foggy to see, and after what Ami said last night, I'm very worried."

The phoenix emitted a low, soft musical tone. Rei sat down cross legged in front of Aideen, resting her elbows against her thighs and her chin in her hands. "She said her dreams have shown her the destruction of Hogwarts without our assistance, but nothing of what would happen if we do fight. Since my sight is also blocked, it seems to warrant a bad omen. Ami's dreams are almost prophetic in their accuracy, so I don't doubt them in the least, which means we will have to help the wizarding world if they are to survive."

Aideen didn't make any further noise, just rested her head against Rei's knee. The violet eyed girl took comfort from the gesture, and a small smile touched her face.

**xXx**

A pair of green eyes gleamed with laughter, as the girl they belonged to ducked behind a tree. A small, silver dragon appeared through the foliage; her wings flapped wildly with an absence of grace that suggested the baby reptile hadn't yet learned to fly very well. Still, with her multicolored eyes narrowed in concentration, Kaida fluttered her wings frantically to stay airborne and chase after the brunette.

Makoto jumped from her hiding place and caught the tumbling dragon before she hit the ground, her wings finally giving out with exhaustion. Carrying her back toward the nest, Makoto scolded her for pushing herself too hard. Kaida fell asleep quickly, and the brunette gently placed her in the nest to sleep, turning toward the mother dragon with a smile. "She's coming along wonderfully, Zandra."

The large silver creature, identified as Zandra, emitted a low growl as Makoto walked over and settled down next to her claw. As the brunette leaned against it, Zandra curled her head around to rest beside the girl, and she placed her slender hand on Zandra's nose. "I really look anxious? I suppose I should've known I couldn't hide it from you. As you know, I teleported to Hogwarts last night to meet with Ami again."

Zandra growled lightly again, though it sounded more agitated this time. Shaking her head lightly, Makoto chuckled, "No, of course Ami didn't do anything to upset me. I don't even think she's capable of upsetting anyone. She's too kind. We were called upon to meet with Albus Dumbledore, all of the girls. He wants our help to fight the war against Voldemort."

This time, the dragon's growl echoed with a bit of anger and perhaps indignation. Makoto nodded her expression reading with the same emotions. "I, of course, declined. I would never ask the dragons to help wizards. But still, if my friends fight, I don't want them to fight without me. They're my family."

As the dragon responded with another growl, this one soft and low, almost resembling a purr, tears stung at Makoto's eyes. She rested her head against the side of Zandra's and closed them, letting the water seep from the sides. "Thank you, Zandra, but I wouldn't want you to fight for me."

The words she heard next wrenched the brunette's heart. They echoed through her head for a few moments afterward while she sniffled. '_But you are **my** family._'

**xXx**

"Friends," the blue haired female paused, her eyes roaming over the assembled centaurs. Firenze stood at her side, giving her more confidence and comfort than he probably even realized. "No, not friends. My family, I have called you all here for a trivial reason, I apologize. I just wanted to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart, with the utmost sincerity. You've listened to my unreasonable request and agreed to fight in a battle that is not precisely your own, and that means very much to me."

"Lady," one of the centaurs stepped forward. Ami immediately recognized him as Ronan, a centaur of red hair and brilliantly bright green eyes. Hastily she brushed at the tears collected on her cheeks, feeling shameful for shedding them in the first place, and nodded for him to continue. "You have done much for all of us. We will gladly accept the honor of fighting at your side."

_I haven't_, Ami thought as the tears welled up again. _I haven't done much of anything, and I've asked so much_. Vaguely she carried on light conversation with a few of the centaurs, and played a game with the children before she left, Firenze still at her side. He watched her throughout the whole meeting, and the soft expressions that highlighted her troubled face stuck out to him easily.

"You have very telling eyes," he commented, drawing the attention of the slightly fazed out girl. Turning toward him, her eyebrows crinkled with slight confusion, further demonstrating his point. With a slight chuckle, he said, "I can tell exactly what you're thinking just by looking at you. You're still very troubled."

"I can't help it," Ami protested, her head tilting the other way so Firenze wouldn't see the flush of embarrassment that tinted her cheeks. Still, worry invaded her thoughts again, and she went on, "I don't know if involving everyone is the right thing to do. My dreams have not told me anything else. Maybe I shouldn't have contacted and involved everyone. Maybe I should've fought on my own. If...if people, if any of the centaurs or my friends die, it will be my fault."

"No," Firenze spoke firmly. Ami stopped walking, her blue eyes widened with shock. Never, in the many years she knew Firenze, had he used anything but a tranquil tone. He stopped as well, turning his blue eyes to hers as he continued, "You have only done what you think is necessary to insure the lives of many people. Whatever happens, Lady Ami, it is not your fault."

Yet again, Ami felt tears enter her eyes, as a bit of weight felt to lift from her laden shoulders. Only this time, her tears mixed with the smile of gratitude that lifted the corners of her lips, and she hugged Firenze tightly, whispering, "Thank you."

**xXx**

Hotaru enjoyed the wind that lapped with force against her cheeks. It whipped her short obsidian hair all around her face, made her eyes dry and then water excessively until one might think she was crying, and shifted her clothes uncomfortably around her small torso. Regardless of these things, it reminded her of her adoptive mother, Haruka, in a way, and also the free spirit of Rei. It made her believe herself a bird, flying carelessly among the clouds with no real destination.

But she did harbor a destination, she remembered, clenching her pale hands deeper into the Thestral's mane. The image of the smiling Chibiusa flickered through her mind, and prompted her to think of all the reasons she did this. _I don't want to see the Thestrals killed at the hands of Voldemort. I don't want Chibiusa to fight without me there to protect her. I want...to prove I can do what I set my mind to, that I am responsible and reliable just like the others._

Hotaru wasn't someone to frequently doubt herself. No matter how scorned her abilities in the eyes of others, she always viewed them as gifts. She found family in the Thestrals she could speak with, and she could heal those she loved with her natural powers. So the harmful words that could've crushed anyone only vaguely stung, because deep down she knew that people simply did not understand, and all humans had the irrational thought to fear what they do not understand.

Though ever since Setsuna left them, left her and Chibiusa to themselves, some of that innocent confidence had been lost. The warmth she kept alive like a flame inside of her diminished into softly glowing embers. When she held the distraught Chibiusa close to her, when she watched the form of one of her dearest friends walk away with the prospect of never seeing her again, something inside of her broke.

Sighing, Hotaru realized she had yet to fix this shattered thing inside of her. Nothing had ever affected her so strongly before or after that day, and sometimes at night the memory still haunted her, mocked her, told her that it was all her fault. Perhaps it was, maybe it wasn't.

Suddenly, the Thestral dropped altitude, approaching the ground below them rapidly. When its hooves touched the earth, the force of impact jolted Hotaru violently. It left her shaking even as she slid from the Thestral's back and felt the solid soil beneath her feet. "Thank you, Ciaran; I appreciate you going out of your way for this."

Her feet guided her toward the forest, hand rested lightly on the Thestral's, Ciaran's, muzzle in an almost habitual way. The path, though familiar, felt ominous as she approached the home of the Thestrals. A painfully cold feeling took over her whole body, as though she submerged in an ice bath, and quite suddenly she took off at a run, Ciaran galloping behind her.

_Oh God. No, _Hotaru sunk to her knees as her whole form began to tremble. She closed her indigo eyes to the massacre laid before her, burying her face in her hands. Surrendering to the sobs that rose in her throat, she mourned, vaguely feeling the touch of Ciaran's nose against her skin. When she finally raised her head again, still crying desperately, she noticed the symbol that hovered mockingly in the clearing.

A glowing green skull, with a snake curling vituperatively from its mouth, stared back down at her.

**xXx**

"What have you been doing toward the cause, Albus?" The elderly wizard turned toward the speaker, amiably ignoring his somewhat disrespectful tone. The whole group assembled after the Order meeting had only been chatting on pleasantly when the sudden question had been asked of him. Now, everyone was silent, waiting to see what Albus's reaction would be.

"I'm pleased you asked. I believe we have several powerful new allies in the upcoming battle, which I've just recently acquired." Albus said, smiling lightly at the now agitated wizard, Kingsley Shacklebolt. Arthur Weasley and Remus Lupin shared knowing, somewhat amused looks, while Severus Snape frowned.

"Well, why didn't you mention that at the meeting?" Kingsley replied. Everyone knew Kingsley was easily riled and somewhat in a bad state of mind all the time, so they all looked to Albus, more interested in that familiar twinkle that highlighted his blue eyes.

"Why it must have slipped my mind," the older man replied, privately enjoying the increasing annoyance on the Auror's face. Even so, he continued, "Yes, since most everyone is still here, why don't I go ahead and report. I've very recently learned of the continuing existence of a unique group of women. They have been in hiding for many years, and it is believed that many of those who ever knew of them had their memories obliterated. They are called many things, but the most common I've found is 'The Keepers of the Secret Language.'"

Albus paused, looking around the room to gauge the effect of his words. The name only registered with very few people, who looked thoroughly shocked, while everyone else in the room shared perplexed glances. Finally, it was Sirius Black who spoke up from his seat at the kitchen table, "What is the Secret Language?"

"Well, one of them would be somewhat familiar to you. You know it as Parseltongue, the ability to talk to snakes." Out of respect, no one verbalized their surprise, but everyone had raised their eyebrows. "However, these women don't talk to snakes. In fact, I'd say their effect is much more powerful than simply conversation. Creatures look up to them with reverence, as leaders, or queens."

"For example, the young woman named Usagi single handedly convinced the werewolves to break their ties with Voldemort." At this, there were a few murmurs of shock, and the few people who winced at the Dark Lord's name. "The young woman named Ami has lived among the centaurs for most of her life, as I understand it, and you know how they feel about wizards.

"There is speculation that the founders of Hogwarts were also Keepers of the Secret Language. You surely know that Salazar Slytherin was a Parseltongue, but many also believed that Rowena Ravenclaw could speak with birds, particularly phoenixes, which the young woman named Rei can do now. It was also thought that Godric Gryffindor could speak with dragons, as the girl named Makoto can. Of course, Helga Hufflepuff is a very revered name among the centaurs, leading me to believe that like Miss Ami, she held a strong connection with them.

"That then leaves Haruka and Michiru, who speak with the Merpeople, Helios and Chibiusa, with the Unicorns, and finally Hotaru, with the Thestrals. I believe there are also some who I haven't met, but I couldn't say for sure." Albus finally ended, with the look of someone who was very much enjoying themselves. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I believe I should get back to Hogwarts."

**xXx**

From her hotel room in Romania, Minako looked down at her paperwork and sighed. The business she had here was not going over as smoothly as she hoped, and she dearly missed her friends. A soft tapping interrupted her thoughts, and pulled her attention to the window. She smiled lightly at the sight of the brown owl, and pushed open the glass to let him inside. Fetching the left over crackers from the soup she had earlier, she gave them to the owl and took her letter in return.

As Minako read her sister's response, a frown gently began to take over her face. She didn't even notice the bird take flight out of the window as she slid on the bed and read over the messily scrawled words again. The news weighed heavily on her as she placed the letter aside and stared upward at the ceiling. What should she do now?

After twenty minutes passed, the blonde sat up straight with her new resolve. Delving in the desk drawer, she found some blank parchment and a few spare quills. Dipping the tip in black ink, Minako began to write.

_To Usagi with love,_

_Tell everyone that I offer my support fully as well. I hope you will understand my reasons for doing this, and will not be too upset._

_With luck, I should get the assistance of my friends as well. I will hastily finish up here in Romania and travel back home within two days._

_Tell Chibiusa I miss her too._

_Take care,_

_Minako_

**Xx Chapter Fin xX**

It should be noted that I warped Kingsley Shacklebolt's character for my own needs. I am all powerful like that. He's really not so uptight, I don't think. At least, I don't remember him being that way.

Well, the response I got was extremely touching. I've even been added to a C2 community I never though I would make, 'The Fight for Justice.' To be honest, I wasn't sure this story would be received well, but I'm happy that it has. Hopefully the switching between scenes is not too confusing.

I decided not to verbalize what the creatures are saying to the senshi, hoping you would be able to tell by their responses. If this is too confusing for everyone, I will consider changing it. It seems I failed to mention my thoughts on a coupling for Rei. Well, it's Sirius. They've both got such tempers; I figured it would be a fun love/hate relationship. I also didn't disclose Minako's associative creature, though I did drop a hint or two. I wonder if anyone can figure it out.

I wish I could draw. I have these images in my head, of Makoto with her dragons, Usagi and Fenrir as a werewolf, Hotaru with the Thestrals, and on and on. Ah well, I suppose drawing _and _writing would be too much. I think I've made a lot of people angry with my announcement to remove a few of my stories and now I've been yelled at. So if you could leave a nice review, I need the cheering up.

I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter.

♥Sachinyoko♥


	3. Chapter 3

In the middle hours of darkness, two nights after the fateful meeting involving a group of women known only in legend, a knock at the door ruffled one of these women awake. Standing, groggy and mildly wary, she sauntered toward the door. Her lips moved with words, and as she lifted her open palm, a handful of blue flame lit her path through the dark room.

As she opened the door, the pale blue light fell across the small figure that stood in the entrance. A gasp escaped her as the young girl lurched forward, cold and wet with the soft rain that fell outside. The flame in her hands abruptly went out as she sank to her knees with the girl, pulling her shivering form closer into a hug. Behind the two of them, actual lights came on, and another gasp echoed in the quiet room.

"Hotaru?" Chibiusa ran forward, her bare feet making dull thumps on the hardwood floor. She knelt down beside the ebony haired girl, wrapped in Usagi's embrace, trying to check for any injuries. Usagi gently shook her head over Hotaru's shoulder.

"Get her some dry clothes and blankets. She'll get pneumonia at this rate," the pink haired girl nodded, and retreated down the hall to fetch the asked supplies. The blonde turned back toward the distraught girl in her arms, "Hotaru, what's wrong? What's happened?"

"I couldn't get in touch with Haruka or Michiru," she whined, her voice broken and scratchy. "My friends, my family are all dead. They're all dead. They're all--"

"Shh," Usagi gently shushed her, and Hotaru broke off into sobs once more. The painful cries tore at her heart, and brought tears to her eyes as well. Chibiusa returned with several thick blankets and some of her own pajamas, a look of concern printed across her normally cheerful face. They wrapped Hotaru in the bedspreads and both held her as she cried.

After she calmed somewhat, the indigo eyed girl changed into the warm, dry clothes and sat with Usagi and Chibiusa at their kitchen table. Chibiusa provided the three of them with cups of hot chocolate, which Hotaru accepted gratefully. Slowly, painfully, she told them of the things she witnessed, of the maimed and strewn bodies, of the dark mark that hovered over the scene. The ache hurt twice over, replaying and telling everything only served to make it true, made it sink in even faster.

"I will have to leave in the morning. I need to track down others," Hotaru announced. Her eyes radiated determination, but she faltered slightly as Chibiusa placed her hand against her arm. The pink haired girl held a look of pure desperation as she spoke.

"Hotaru, you can't. Not so soon, it's dangerous," she pleaded, her red eyes sparkling with worry. Frowning, the onyx haired girl turned her gaze toward the table top and spun her cup of hot chocolate between her palms nervously.

"Maybe I'll stay for a few days," she conceded, earning a pleased smile from her best friend. Under Usagi's subtle suggestion, Chibiusa retreated back to bed, placing her empty cup in the sink before she left. After following her leave with her deep blue eyes, she turned back toward Hotaru.

"I know you have no intention of staying," she said, taking the final gulp of her own hot chocolate. She stood and walked across the room, rinsing both cups out and placing them in the dishwater. Hotaru stood as well, walking across the kitchen linoleum and dumping the last of her drink down the drain before handing the cup to the blonde.

"I don't mean to worry Chibiusa." Usagi nodded in the short silence, but Hotaru couldn't decide whether its purpose was to encourage her to go on or to demonstrate she understood the sentiment. "At the same time, I won't let Voldemort get away with this. It's suddenly a very personal matter."

"I understand, Hotaru. I won't try to stop you. Just please, promise me you'll stay safe. Look after yourself, because the Thestrals aren't the _only_ family you have." The blonde smiled lightly, before going on, "I will go to Hogwarts tomorrow and try to get in touch with Haruka and Michiru. I'll tell them what's going on, okay?"

"Thank you, Usagi." They both tucked in for bed, and from then on, Hotaru's reasons for fighting were very different indeed.

**xXx**

Haruka retained her mermaid form, swimming back toward the lake bottom. Worry etched over her expression as she sped along, ignoring the band of grindylows she riled up when she passed. When she finally reached the home of the Merpeople, she raced passed them too, without caring about the indignant looks they shot at her back. Her dark blue eyes spotted the form she sought, absorbed in serious conversation with one of the council members.

Without any hesitation, Haruka swam up and placed her hand on Michiru's elbow, earning the teal haired woman's attentions. She gave a nod of apology to the ruffled merman before pulling her away.

"Michi, something has happened with Hotaru." Haruka said. Instantly, the look of vague irritation left Michiru's expression, replaced by alarm. "Usagi told me that Voldemort killed the whole colony of Thestrals that she has been staying with. Further more, she's left to search out more allies, alone."

"Usagi didn't try to stop her?" Michiru inquired, her brow creased with concern. The sandy haired woman shook her head, a frown marring her lips.

"She said Hotaru would've left no matter what she said." At her companion's expression of anxiety, she placed a hand on her cheek and turned her eyes back to hers. "Michi, Hotaru is very strong. She's much stronger than either of us ever were at her age. She will be able to take care of herself. We will continue to do what we possibly can here, for the time being, and go to assist her later."

"You're right." Michiru responded, leaning softly into Haruka's touch and closing her eyes. "There's nothing we can do. The Thestrals will protect her."

"Has there been any progress toward the Merpeople?" Haruka asked after a moment of revered silence.

"No. They still will not listen. I was planning on going to the surface and telling Ami that it's no use." Michiru sighed. "But I still don't want to give in. I know I can make them see reason."

**xXx**

Rei opened her eyes as her feet gently touched down, bare and pressed flat against the stone beneath them. Aideen the phoenix unclenched her claws from the young woman's shoulders and landed on her offered arm. A gentle nod told her all she needed to know, and Aideen fluttered off toward the forest while Rei looked up at the intimidating, large towers of the Hogwarts castle.

With a sharp intake of breath, she let herself in without bothering to knock. As she headed toward the path that led to Dumbledore's office, the noise coming from the double doors across the way distracted her and she paused. Her violet eyes skimmed over the large entrance, and shrugging, she decided to check there first. Amidst all the noise, no one would notice if she peeked her head in.

Of course, this didn't go quite as planned, for as Rei gently pushed the door inward it let out a loud creak from age, and the resounding echo silenced the room immediately. Frowning, she pushed the door open all the way and stepped in, making it seem as if she had intended to come in the whole time. Murmurs filled the hall immediately, packed with students of the school.

Ignoring this, Rei gazed around briefly and spotted the wizard she sought out sitting at the head table. She walked through the aisle, her stride long and confident as she kept eye contact with Dumbledore. As she reached him, she inclined her head in a short greeting before she said, "I need to speak with you in private."

"Of course," Dumbledore answered amiably. He stood from his chair, in the center of the long table, and led the two of them out of the Great Hall with a smile. The students kept whispering, some with confusion and some with astonishment as they passed. Rei kept her intense stare on the back of Dumbledore's robes, but faltered slightly when he stopped along one of the tables to speak with a boy.

The boy, a teenager with messy black hair and glasses, stood, his face contorted with more bewilderment than perhaps necessary. His expression gave Rei the sudden urge to laugh, but she repressed it, and continued along as they kept moving, the boy in tow. To her relief they didn't follow the long path back to the elderly man's office, and instead stopped outside the huge double doors and waited for the cacophony of noise to start up again.

"Who is this?" Rei finally asked, turning her eyes to the boy's face. "More importantly, why does he need to be here?"

"This is Harry Potter. He speaks Parseltongue and I was going to ask--"

"If he was one of us?" Rei smiled furtively as she ended Dumbledore's sentence for him. She looked over the boy, Harry, again, this time with some interest before she shook her head. "No, Tom Riddle, also known as Voldemort, is the Keeper of the Snake Language now and will be until he dies. Hopefully that is soon. Surely you know that he got the gift from the curse Voldemort sent at him?"

"Yes, that was my theory," Dumbledore conceded. Harry looked between the two of them, not sure in the least what was going on. "Well then, what brings you here? I hope it isn't Fawkes, he's out at the moment."

"I know, recruiting. I've heard of his passing while I was doing the same." The raven haired girl shot Harry another glance before she deemed it okay to proceed, "I just want to inform you that you have our allegiance. I will need to establish a place nearby where my friends can lie in wait until the battle begins."

"Why not the Forbidden Forest?" Dumbledore suggested. Rei considered this a moment, and then she nodded.

"That will do. Also, I would like to stay close by as well. Perhaps," she turned her violet eyes away to observe the stone walls around them, and frowned before continuing, "Perhaps here in the castle. That is, if I am welcome."

"Of course."

**xXx**

"Why, hello Aideen," Ami smiled as the phoenix lowered onto her shoulder and nipped lightly at her hair. As she stroked Aideen's head, her eyes traveled to the visible towers of Hogwarts through the trees. "Rei must be at the castle. And here I thought I'd finally gotten a moment to myself without Firenze or someone else tagging along."

The blue haired woman pulled her hand back as Aideen fluttered off through the trees. She stood still in the small clearing, the very spot she met with everyone not four nights ago. Making up her mind, she set off at a quick sprint toward the edge of the forest. Unfortunately, she arrived in time to see the raven haired girl taking flight again, Aideen carrying her. A soft sigh escaped her lips as the morning events came back to her.

'_Minako contacted me, she wants to help as well. She will be here either today or tomorrow, so expect to receive her company._' Ami smiled at the memory of the cheerful blonde, but the sentiment didn't last. One thing still left unaddressed kept tugging her thoughts in a single direction. '_I haven't contacted Setsuna, and I don't intend to. It would be unfair to Chibiusa and Hotaru._'

Yes, the blue eyed woman conceded, it would be terribly unfair to the two youngest, considering how close they were to Setsuna when she left. Still, Ami wanted Setsuna's help, and more than that, she wanted the garnet eyed woman to return to all of them.

"But she only views her gift as a curse," Ami muttered quietly, her eyes glassy.

"Still thinking of Setsuna, Lady Ami?" Firenze smiled as the young woman jumped at the sound of his voice, but she quickly calmed when he stepped up beside her. "You should be more wary when you're on your own."

"I suppose I'm just so used to having you with me," Ami replied with a whimsical smile.

"Well, if you don't enjoy my company Lady Ami, then by all means," Firenze said, something close to but not quite a grin lifting over his well defined cheek bones.

"Of course I do, Firenze," Ami laughed. "I just wish you would stop calling me 'Lady.' There are no formalities between us."

"Perhaps," he responded, his tone ponderous. He looked out over the grounds of Hogwarts; the gently swaying grass moved into dance by the wind. Flocks of birds dove over the lake trying to catch a meal, an array of impressive plumage fluttering along the shores. The groundskeeper, a half giant named Hagrid, sat outside his quaint house with his large boarhound named Fang, humming as he drank from a tea cup. "It's peaceful."

"Yes," Ami said, nodding her head in agreement. She closed her eyes to relish the cool breeze on her face, before adding, "For now."

**xXx**

_Makoto,_

_I know you have pledged yourself against the cause, and I don't wish to change your mind. I respect your decision, but I am going to be selfish and ask another favor of you now._

_If you could return to Hogwarts for a few days, there someone here who I think you should meet. I won't go into details, but I'm sure you'll get along._

_Love,_

_Ami_

Tucking the short letter away, Makoto frowned. She could almost feel the waves of apprehension that radiated from the parchment and wondered who on earth Ami could want her to meet. '_Actually, it probably wasn't her idea at all._'

Still, in the form of a favor for Ami, something she asked personally, Makoto couldn't refuse. Her green eyes turned toward the slowly darkening sky, and with a sigh, she brought her hands together. To anyone else, it might look like she was praying, but as the silver dragon known as Zandra could tell, the intention was much different. Makoto snapped her head in the dragon's direction.

"Zandra, you startled me. I'm traveling back to Hogwarts." She inclined her head to the side, brunette ponytail falling over her shoulder. For a moment, she remained silent, listening. "No, Zandra, the journey between here and England is too far, and too dangerous for Kaida."

Again, Makoto paused. She looked over at the baby dragon, curled in the nest peacefully. Green eyes sparkled softly against the setting sun, something affectionate and also painful swirled within them. "Okay. We can leave at night fall."

**xXx**

If you're wondering, the Antipodean Opaleye species of dragon is native to New Zealand, and that's where Makoto is.

Yes, Makoto's piece was very short and Minako isn't in this chapter. Well, Minako's scene starts out the next chapter with her return to England, which will be melded with Usagi and Chibiusa like Hotaru's scene in this chapter, since they will be greeting her arrival. Then Makoto will arrive at Hogwarts in a flourish to meet Ami, and Rei will be there as well, plus the Harry Potter characters will come back in the spot light.

Everyone keeps asking about Mamoru and Setsuna. Well, if you've ever read a novel you know that the points of information are revealed at certain moments in the plot, and though I'm certainly not writing a novel, I'm trying to keep some things secretive to keep everyone interested. The only hints will be dropped into the story, but for now it remains a mystery. Also, a quick note, **the sailor senshi aren't a part of this story, the Sailor Moon side is completely AU.**

Oh my goodness the neighbor's dog is over in my yard again. o.o That dog is so annoying. Anyway, thank you again for all the support. I know some of the pairings may come off as a little skeptical but, just wait until they all start interacting with each other. Maybe you'll change your mind. ;) Until next time!

♥SachiNyoko♥


	4. Chapter 4

Michiru placed her bare feet against the damp soil of the lake shore, wringing her hair of excessive water. Even though she used to stay on land more, each time she reverted back to her human legs the ground felt foreign. Her whole body felt much heavier than it perhaps should. With each step, she sank slightly into the soft dirt, but the smile she normally shown didn't reveal itself. The circumstances of coming this particular time proved too grave, indeed.

To her great fortune, she spotted Ami as the younger girl exited the Forbidden Forest and called her name. Michiru's voice carried across the grounds and caught the other girl's attention. She turned her head, waving as the teal haired woman crossed the gap between them quickly. Michiru nodded greetings, but her thoughts were too preoccupied for small talk.

"The Merpeople won't listen. I'm afraid they won't agree to help in this fight. I don't even know whether Haruka is truly committed either," the worry laced through her voice didn't go unnoticed by Ami. The blue eyed woman smiled lightly, placing her hand on Michiru's still damp shoulder.

"Michiru, please don't worry so much. None of it is your fault, and you've tried your best. Would you come with me to meet with Dumbledore?" The young woman looked a bit anxious to go alone, so against her will, Michiru agreed. They walked briskly up the stone steps, while Ami broke the silence again. "Rei plans to come and stay in the castle. Makoto is coming some time today as well, though I don't know whether I can convince her to stay."

"I'm surprised Rei has jumped into this so wholeheartedly. It's not usually like her," Michiru commented, following Ami through the large wooden entry doors. She only nodded in agreement, concentrating more on which halls led to Dumbledore's office. After all, she only traveled the way twice.

"I think it would be a good idea, for all of us to stay in the castle. We should really get to know the people we're going to fight with. I've already made arrangements to stay in a room with Rei." Ami spoke neutrally, and the surprised look that Michiru sent didn't venture outside what she expected. They both reached the stone gargoyle that guarded the elderly wizard's office, and the blue haired woman offered the password. The statue sprung aside, and let them pass into the spiral staircase.

Ami knocked on the door shortly, and opened it at the call to enter from the other side. Michiru followed, and they quietly observed the stranger in the room aside Dumbledore, a red haired youth with a pleasant smile on his face.

"Ah, I've been expecting you Ami. Greetings to both of you, and by the look on your face Miss Michiru, I would say you don't have great news." The headmaster of the school held his usual amiable attitude as he walked back around to sit at his desk. Waving his wand, he conjured a third seat across from it and motioned them all to sit. When they did, he offered them a lemon drop, which only the stranger accepted.

"I'm afraid you're right. The Merpeople have refused to listen to me and remain neutral in the war." The teal haired woman assumed since this stranger was not dismissed, he must be an ally of Dumbledore's. As such, she did not hesitate to speak in front of him, but sent a sideways glance at him besides.

"Ah, forgive my manners. I must be getting senile." The joke earned a collective chuckle, and a smile lit up Dumbledore's face before he continued, "Ladies, this is Charlie Weasley and he works with dragons abroad. He's here to meet your friend, Miss Makoto, as we've arranged. Charlie, this is Ami and Michiru, both of whom graciously agreed to help us fight against Voldemort."

"Pleasure," Charlie said, sticking his hand out toward them. After he shook hands with both of them, he settled back into his chair for comfort and took a second lemon drop from Dumbledore. "So, I've vaguely heard stories of the Secret Languages. You must be descendants of powerful wizards."

"No," Ami replied pleasantly, an almost mischievous smile appearing on her face. "Actually, we're all muggle born."

"Wow," Charlie replied. The young woman nodded with her smile still in place, and one identical in mirth on Michiru's.

"Anyway, I did come to say the centaurs are assembling their battle plans. Everything is going wonderfully toward the effort, and I will come to stay in the castle this evening when Rei returns. A lot of the phoenixes have started to arrive in the forest; it's grown a bit restless with the sudden disturbance." Ami paused, her blue eyes straying to the window behind Dumbledore. "Firenze and Bane are going to be in charge of the proceedings in my absence, and I have complete confidence in them."

Michiru, who also turned to observe the window, smiled to herself as she spoke, "Yes, but for now I think we should go down to the grounds. The approaching figure is way too large to be an incoming phoenix."

Dumbledore and Charlie finally turned, spotting the glint of silver in the sky that held the girls' attention. They all stood, heading out of the office and through the Hogwarts halls in a flourish. When they reached the grounds, they heard the shouts coming from the Care of Magical Creatures class near Hagrid's hut. Some students emerged from the greenhouses to witness the commotion, and everyone watched with horrified awe at the scene.

The silver sheen of the dragon's scales glittered with the bright sunlight of mid afternoon. Her pretty, multicolored eyes looked on the group of petrified children with as much amusement as a dragon could show. She folded her wings inward as her claws made contact with the earth, blades of grass waving with the force of wind from the landing.

Once the dragon stilled completely, a small silvery bundle tumbled from her back, and a young woman jumped down after. Charlie watched the whole scene in wonder, surprised at the appearance of an Antipodean Opaleye here at Hogwarts, but even more so at the girl who apparently rode her. Her bright green eyes shone with laughter as she picked up the silver bundle, a baby dragon, and placed her back on her feet. Locks of long, brunette hair fell chaotically around her face, blown every which way by the wind.

The young woman's attention shifted, and her sharp gaze fell on him instinctively. Charlie fidgeted, unnerved by the sheer confidence in the very manner she held herself, but couldn't break his eyes away. The woman was wildly beautiful, almost in a dangerous sort of way. Finally, she turned, her hand resting against the older dragon's snout. Her mouth moved a bit, and to his great shock, the dragon rose from the ground and flew off toward the forest, nestling out of sight quickly.

"Makoto always does like the dramatic entrances," Ami mused, not missing the array of expressions that crossed the young man's face beside her. At least one half of this puzzle fit, but not the half that really concerned her personally. Any man could easily fall in love with Makoto; it was her that held the strong resistance. The brunette collected the baby dragon up and placed her on her shoulder before she made her way across the grounds to the group.

"You know how reckless it is to fly a dragon across the globe in broad daylight?" Michiru spoke first, though her words were scolding, her tone sounded more good-humored than anything. Makoto turned to the teal haired woman and a cheeky grin lit up her face.

"Yeah, well, we thought it would be a waste of time to hide out all day and wait for nightfall. I lost my hair tie somewhere over France this morning," the green eyed woman pointed to her loose, wind swept hair with a chuckle. "I would have come alone, but Zandra insisted on joining me." She turned her attention to Dumbledore, and gave a short nod of greeting, before she looked over Charlie again.

"Ah, Makoto," Ami jumped into the conversation, a bit nervous despite herself. "This is the person I wanted you to meet. His name is Charlie Weasley, and he works abroad, with dragons."

"It's great to meet you," Charlie said enthusiastically, offering his hand out to shake hers. "That dragon, she really is beautiful. It's been a long time since I've seen an Antipodean Opaleye. This must be her young."

Makoto refused to return his handshake, and only nodded curtly at his observation. Her gaze turned back to the elderly wizard beside Ami, suddenly haughty, "This was your idea, right? Bring the dragon guy to woo me into helping you? I don't care if you bring a whole Save the Dragons committee to sing a dragon saving theme song, I'm not going to join your stupid war."

With that, the high tempered brunette stomped off toward the Forbidden Forest. Ami frowned gently as she left, and turned toward Charlie with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I actually kind of expected that. I'll talk to her, and she'll calm down. Just give her another chance."

Charlie nodded numbly as the blue haired woman turned and chased after her brunette friend, disappearing easily into the darkened trees. Michiru excused herself shortly after, retreating toward the lake with a promise to persist her efforts. This left Dumbledore and Charlie, who both headed back toward the castle just as the current class period ended, and they melded into the crowd of students that stormed the castle for their lunch period. Hagrid also quickly caught up with Dumbledore to drill him about the unexpected arrival of the dragon.

Meanwhile, in the Forbidden Forest, Ami quickly caught up to the fuming Makoto in the all too familiar clearing. The presence of the large, silver dragon unnerved her a bit, but she still approached her friend. Zandra looked up warily, but recognized the blue haired woman as Makoto's friend, and calmly rested her head back into its curled napping position. The green eyed girl leaned against a tree trunk, watching Kaida practice her flight.

"I knew it wasn't your idea from the start, Ami," she said tonelessly, still not looking at the other girl. "But I was surprised you went along with it. I mean, it doesn't seem like something you would do."

"What did you think I was trying to do Makoto? Trick you into joining the fight? That wasn't my intention, though it might have been Dumbledore's to some degree." Ami paused. She sifted through her words carefully. Upsetting Makoto further would not be a good thing to do at the moment. "I really think that you could get along with this guy, Charlie. He loves dragons, and he was really excited just to meet you."

"Yeah, so what," Makoto snapped, agitated. Zandra stirred restlessly at her side, but she placed a comforting hand against her head to calm her. The anger, however, never left her features. "A lot of people would be excited to meet me, you, all of us. We're like circus freaks to them, Ami. Just because this guy works with dragons doesn't mean he respects them, and it doesn't mean I'm going to like him either."

"I know you're scared," Ami placed a hand against the tree beside her, leaning her weight into it for support. Moments like this, she wished Firenze could be here to give her confidence. "Whenever we try to make friends, it always backfires on us. It's hard, and I have been petrified myself for the past few days, every time I go to talk to Dumbledore I keep thinking of how he's only using us for his own benefits.

But Makoto, if we never try, we'll be alone forever. I know that to you, Zandra and Kaida are family and you are to them, but it gets lonely. Without other people, we'll always be lonely. I agreed to call you here because I think this guy is different, and that maybe you could really find someone to be friends with, who won't let you down." Ami dropped her hand and walked forward, pulling her brunette friend into a tight hug. Makoto hung her head, loose hair falling in her face to hide her expression, but she returned Ami's hug.

"Then I'll give him a chance, Ami. For you, I will, because I know you'll be there for me if he turns out to be just like everyone else."

**xXx**

Rei landed down on the Hogwarts grounds, carelessly wiping at the sweat that lined her brow. The afternoon sun proved hot, and beat down sharply against her exposed skin. The khaki colored shorts and red tank top she wore meant to keep her somewhat cool, clung to her with the layer of sweat all over her skin. First thing she would do once settled in, of course, take a long bath.

A smile came to her lips as she dismissed Aideen to the Forbidden Forest. Her companion would not be lonely, for she could feel the presence of many phoenixes gathered there already. Brushing her bangs from her eyes, she walked hurriedly across the Hogwarts grounds while pulling her ponytail a bit tighter. She climbed the stairs two at a time, hoping the castle would be much cooler than the sweltering temperatures outside.

"Miss Rei, I didn't expect you'd be here until later this evening," Rei turned her head upward as she walked into the hall, and nodded a greeting to Dumbledore. Still, she could not quite believe his statement, for he seemed to be standing in the hall waiting for her. Or perhaps, she quickly realized, he waited for someone else, because another stood at his side also waiting.

"If you could direct me to my room and the bath please, I'm horribly sweaty." The raven haired young woman didn't even flinch while saying this, and Dumbledore seemed a bit amused at her complete honesty. Before he could respond to her, the door to the Great Hall opened and a man stepped out picking his teeth shamelessly. He looked up at them, shaggy black hair falling into the path of his stormy grey eyes. (**1**)

"Ah, Sirius, perfect timing. I'm waiting for someone at the moment, so could you kindly show Miss Rei to her assigned quarters and the bath?" The man, 'Sirius', looked over the young woman that stood across the hall in a way far from respectful, before he shrugged. Rei grimaced, the sudden urge to punch this guy in the nose overcoming her. Too bad he stood too far away. She reluctantly followed him, dragging her trunk full of belongings along with her.

"By the way, if you could make it to Dinner Miss Rei I was planning on announcing yours and Ami's stay here at the castle, along with the members of the Order. I want to make sure the students don't bother you at all." Dumbledore said. Rei nodded over her shoulder, hiding her own shock that Ami would be staying with her. She hadn't heard word from the blue haired woman. They walked along in silence, while she struggled with her trunk.

"I know chivalry is dead and all, but could you at least help me?" The violet eyed woman snapped irritably at his back. Sirius turned, his face etched into a light frown, before he shrugged carelessly again and took the other handle of her trunk. They walked side by side, awkwardly carrying the luggage between them.

"Merlin, what do you have in here? Let me guess, two hundred pairs of shoes and three makeup cases." If Rei hadn't had both hands on the trunk handle and the inconvenience of a large trunk between them, she would've hit him over the head, hard. Instead, she settled for a glare.

"For your information, I have two pairs of shoes, not two hundred. I own no makeup whatsoever, either. There are only clothes in here, and a few miscellaneous things." The raven haired woman bit off with frustration. Then, suddenly, her lips curved upward in a grin, and she added, "Oh, I'm sorry, you probably don't know what miscellaneous means. A bit under your vocabulary, I'd wager."

"This is your room." Sirius stopped abruptly in front of a wooden door, his voice loaded with irritation. He let go of the trunk handle, and it dropped to the flagstones with a sharp thud. The lid jarred open, spilling articles of clothing across the floor. Earlier, Rei had thrown all of her undergarments on top in haste, and now she was regretting it terribly as she dove for the pile and started to throw everything back in.

"Well, well, lacy and black," The young woman looked up, horrified as Sirius waved the underwear in her face. A sharp yell of pain echoed through the hall, because in a move quick enough for a ninja Rei grabbed her red dress shoes from the open trunk and hit the black haired man over the head with the stiletto heel. She shoved the last of her clothes in the trunk and snapped it shut securely, ignoring the string of curses issuing from Sirius's mouth.

"Stupid pervert," The violet eyed woman muttered as she dragged her belongings into her room and slammed the door. Sirius headed toward the hospital wing, because the blow to his head was now bleeding. Rei quickly discovered, along with the two four-poster beds in the room, it had its own private bathroom. She dug out a clean change of clothes and located the fresh towels in the bathroom before she settled in for a long, _long_ bath.

**xXx**

Minako sighed lightly as the announcement rang from the train intercom for her stop. '_Mind the gap between the train and the platform_.' The blonde grabbed her luggage, and only struggled with it for a moment before someone came to her aid. She smiled gratefully as the stranger carried her bags out to the platform, and politely declined his inquiry for dinner out on the town.

"Aunt Minako!" The blue eyed woman turned, laughing as the familiar cotton candy hair came into her line of vision. The shorter girl caught her around the waist, hugging her tightly while her fellow blonde and sister walked over as well.

"Chibiusa, how is my favorite niece doing?" Minako asked cheerfully, returning the hug with an equal enthusiasm. The joy of being with her family again overwhelmed her with emotions, and tears of joy came to her eyes that she fiercely blinked away. Chibiusa finally pulled away, her younger face puckered into a skeptical frown.

"Aunt Minako, I'm your _only_ niece." The pink haired girl chided.

"True, but I'm sure if I had another, you'd still be the favorite," Minako replied with a grin, making the teenager chuckle. Usagi finally reached them, also pulling the blonde into a tight hug, both of them smiling widely. "Usagi! It's been too long. Think of all the havoc we've missed out on causing."

"Yes, a real tragedy." They pulled apart again. Between the three of them, they carried the bags back to Usagi's car and loaded them into the trunk. Chatting animatedly between each other, the ride back toward their home passed quickly. After all the bags made it in the door, Usagi turned toward Chibiusa. "Why don't you go find Helios? I need to speak with Minako alone for a while."

Chibiusa pouted, but conceded nonetheless, leaving the two sisters alone. Minako took a seat at the kitchen table, while Usagi prepared tea. The pigtailed woman leaned into the counter as she waited for the water to boil. "I ran into her mother yesterday, at the store."

"What?" Minako turned back toward her fellow blonde with shock, attention completely diverted from the pictures on the walls she had been studying. Usagi nodded softly, her features taut and anxious.

"Chibiusa wasn't with me, thank goodness. She asked me how _her_ daughter was doing. Can you believe she had the nerve to say that? I think once you abandon your child you have no right to claim them as your own anymore," she spoke haughtily, her face scrunched up with anger. Minako's expression mirrored the frustration as she glared at the table. A hefty sigh escaped Usagi's lips as she poured to now done tea into two cups. One she placed in front of Minako and the other in front of her chair as she sat down.

"Some people just...don't understand what life is really about. She couldn't even accept Mamoru the way he was, she doesn't deserve to know her daughter. Don't let it worry you, sis." Minako smiled reassuringly across the table before she took a sip of tea from her cup. "You've done an amazing job raising Chibiusa as your own. She's a great girl."

"Yeah, I said something along those lines to her before I left." Usagi smiled lightly as she twirled her cup in circles on the table, no interest in drinking it. "Anyway, I'm more worried about Hotaru. The group of Thestrals she stayed with was wiped out by Voldemort, and she's seeing red with revenge. I let her go against my better judgment, but I know if I tried to stop her it would only make her upset with me."

"Well," Minako looked down at her cup, a sadness in her blue eyes, "I would be devastated too. I think that was the right decision. Don't worry, Hotaru is very strong and she can take care of herself just as well as you and I can."

"I suppose. How did your inquiry in Romania go, by the way?" Usagi asked, looking to veer the subject again. Minako offered a cheesy grin across the table as she flashed her trademark victory sign.

"Postponed indefinitely. I passed it off to the Ministry so I could make it back here. I thought that what's going on here is much more important. I guess you still haven't changed your mind, eh?" She looked hopeful for a moment, but Usagi just smiled.

"Have you, dear sister?" Minako shook her head, sighing. "I will fight myself, because I can't prevent Chibiusa from fighting and I don't want her out there without me. But you know I can't ask help of the werewolves. I mean, they took us in at great risk to themselves, and have protected us for all these years. Plus, the way the wizarding world treats them."

"You've said this to me before, Usagi." The younger woman sat her cup back down after a short sip, smiling playfully. "I think once Fenrir finds out what you plan to do, he'll be upset that you _didn't_ ask him for help. You're as much of a little sister to him as I am to you, you know. I already have full support from the Veela, even though the stupid Bulgarians had the gall to use them as a team mascot. That really makes me mad."

"Yes, well, people don't have the respect they should for magical creatures. They're either dangerous and should be killed, or they're only valuable for their own special potions and other equipment." Usagi chuckled. "It's always been that way. The sad thing is, they don't treat each other much better."

**xXx**

Soft footsteps led the young girl into unfamiliar territory. She gulped down her anxiety, a fear of never being so far from home, about to enter into a group of complete strangers. Still, she pressed on, pushing stray locks of ebony hair from her face, mostly from nervous habit. The Thestral Ciaran walked faithfully at her side, offering her a bit of strength and confidence, which she desperately needed at the moment.

Suddenly, Hotaru found her steps entering the colony, making just enough noise to draw all attention to her. Swallowing hard, she tried to shake the feeling that her heart just jumped into her throat. It took a few minutes of reverent silence for her to regain speaking ability.

"Friends," her voice came out strangely, to any normal human listening it may have seemed like a foreign language, but the Thestrals present listened attentively. "I am Hotaru, an ally of all Thestrals. I have lived with a colony in England for the past several years, and grown as close as family with them."

Tears sprang to her violet eyes, but she blinked them away, and cleared her throat. She continued, bringing her voice to a calm, steady tone with effort. "Very recently, I returned from a brief meeting away from my home to find all of my friends slaughtered mercilessly. The culprit, plain in the mark that hovered over their lifeless bodies, was Voldemort."

The Thestrals began to snort with anger, resent. Hotaru could not blame them, so she stayed silent and let them take in this grave news for themselves. After a few moments, though, she held up her hand to bring them back to silence. "I come here, because Voldemort has also threatened the wizarding world, and our world as well. On behalf of Hogwarts, of Albus Dumbledore, and myself I am calling on you for help. To achieve victory, we must all stand united.

"Many others have pledged themselves to the cause; the centaurs, the phoenixes, perhaps the Merpeople and the dragons, and of course many great wizards and witches. Under Voldemort, our very way of life is at stake. I know the wizards do not deserve your help, but don't do it for them. Do it to protect your homes and families, to avenge the brethren that have been lost at the evil one's hands. I humbly beg you; please help us in this fight."

Hotaru ended her speech, bowing at the waist. Ebony hair fell into her face and the ground became all she could see. Her very heart pounded recklessly against her chest as she waited, wondering, hoping.

The young girl could not ebb her tears as the whole colony erupted into an ovation of accord. She could return proudly, successfully.

**xXx**

As the Great Hall buzzed with pre-Dinner noise, the murmurs came louder than most nights. The reason presented in a new long table in the hall, to which several wizards and witches sat, along with the raven haired girl that interrupted their meal the previous day. The chatter quieted as Albus Dumbledore rose from his seat and looked around the hall, that much familiar gleam in his blue eyes.

"Students of Hogwarts. A time of danger approaches us all, as I'm sure you know. I've feared that our current defenses may not be enough the halt a full blown attack against the castle, but as of late, my hope has been renewed." The students exchanged mixed glances, and looked at the new table with wonder. "You must all come to learn of an ancient ability that has been passed through each generation since before the founding of Hogwarts.

"I speak of the Secret Languages." Dumbledore paused, letting this information sink in. "I'm sure those of you who have heard of this have heard mixed stories. Because Parseltongue is one of the Secret Languages, and it is so affiliated with the Dark Arts, many people assume that all the Secret Languages are evil, curses even. None of the other keepers have ever stepped forward to identify themselves as having this gift for that reason.

"However," Dumbledore paused again, his eyes drifting over to the three young women at the end of the newest table, "Several years ago a group of women did come forward, asking to be accepted, not as evil, but as witches just like everyone else. The wizarding community shunned them, and labeled them as practicing Dark magic and conspiring to take over the world.

"So these young women went into hiding. They erased memories, faded out of existence almost completely. But it is important you understand, these women are not evil. They are just like you, and they have been given a gift that sets them apart, but it does not make them any less human. We are fortunate enough to warrant their assistance in our gravest time of need, despite the way they've been treated in the past.

"I expect the utmost respect to be shown," Dumbledore's voice rang strongly against the awed silence of the hall, full of serious conviction. "I will deal personally with anyone who does otherwise. Also joining us in the castle is a number of wizards who will help protect us should the time come that we need it. I expect this year to continue to go as any normal school year. Now, let's eat!"

Albus Dumbledore returned to his seat as the food appeared. Though the hall still echoed with silence, none were more shocked than the three women sitting at the end of the fifth long table.

**xXx**

(**1**) In my story, Sirius has been proven innocent and Pettigrew is rotting somewhere. Muahaha. Also, as a result, Harry is living at Number 12, Grimmauld Place with him. Oh yeah, I'm so good.

Oh more lovely fun. I wanted to keep going on the first scene but I'd already passed 2,000 words at that point. So Makoto and Charlie official meeting next chapter, along with more fun stuff all around. Har. Hotaru will have more spotlight later, I realize her bit was slightly short. I plan on them all congregating at Hogwarts eventually, so the scenes will be more melded then.

Also, I hope Makoto got more spotlight here. I hated making her part so short before. She'll also start off next chapter, most likely. Ami will continue to visit with the centaurs and Rei with the phoenixes, no worries. I think that's all the rambling, so review please. :) I'm missing World Cup action writing this for you guys.

♥SachiNyoko♥


	5. Chapter 5

Wisps of moonlight stretched through the foliage of branches and danced across the dewy blades of grass between the trees. A ray of the pale glow flickered momentarily against a gleam in the darkness, visible only an instant before it disappeared. A rustle through the underbrush startled a deer into wariness, its large brown eyes searching through the greenery for movement of any kind.

A blur cut across the small opening in the trees, tackling over the doe in a split second. The animal kicked out in panic, struggling wildly against the hold that kept it on the ground. For a few minutes, the sound of thrashing echoed through the clearing. Then, the gleam returned as two sharp fangs sunk into the deer's neck, tearing open the carotid artery. Blood spilled everywhere, and soon the animal stopped moving completely.

The wood silent, the person stood from the corpse and licked away the fresh blood around their mouth. The craving still not satisfied, as it never could be, as she would never allow it. The female turned and sprinted through the trees until she reached the edge of the forestry. Moonlit wheat fields stretched out to the horizon before her, folding gently with the wind that stirred the ends of her hair.

The woman stood still, her eyes closed, and let herself soak up the moonlight. The breeze touched softly against her skin as her mind drifted, swept away into the darkness of the night. "Setsuna have you fed? It's time to leave."

The female, 'Setsuna', nodded as she turned to the newcomer, a shadow between the trees that refused to step in the open light. She melded into the shadows as well and the two of them set off into the night. As the woman entered her home, she did not expect the owl that perched on her dining table. Glancing, she noticed she left the kitchen window open.

Setsuna walked across the bare hardwood floors and took the letter from the bird. The owl hooted, indignant, when she offered no food and flew out the window. She lit the oil lamp on the table, and her garnet eyes lit up in the warm glowing light as it illuminated the words on the unfolded parchment. While she read, her face immersed itself in increasing degrees of shock.

Moments, completely still, passed on. A soft rustle sounded when she sat the letter down on the table, repeating it word for word in her mind. Her eyes never left the messy name scrawled at the bottom. Without her ever knowing, tears fell down her face and stopped, then dried all together.

_Even if you can't forgive yourself, I've already forgiven you._ Setsuna stood from the table and looked uncertainly between her bedroom and the kitchen. She took a slow step toward the kitchen and then two baby steps back toward the bedroom. For a long time she weaved back and forth letting her mind, her conscience, take her where it would.

Finally, her quick and efficient footsteps led her into the bedroom. It was time to stop running.

**xXx**

Makoto frowned into the mirror as she recalled the previous night's dinner and the morning's breakfast. The red haired man, Charlie, and his complete awkwardness at her silence to his pursuit of conversation. She knew what she promised Ami, but it still wouldn't prove quick or easy given her guarded personality. With a sigh of frustration, she jerked the hair tie from lopsided ponytail that refused to sit straight on her head and let the wavy brown tresses fall down her shoulders. She missed Zandra and Kaida too much to care what her hair looked like.

Sharp and determined strides led the brunette quickly out of the maze of Hogwarts. That morning she spent memorizing the path to the Great Hall and the path outside, because she didn't really care to go anywhere else in the castle. Glaring at nothing in particular, she wondered why she even bothered coming back here when she knew that somehow she would end up staying against her will.

The medium length grass ruffled under her feet as she walked. A cloudless sky let the sun warm the air to an almost harsh heat, but Makoto thrived on high temperatures, so she barely even broke a sweat in the excess warmth. The shimmering of the lake caught her attention briefly, until it averted to the group of students outside the cabin to the far left. The assorted teens groused in the steaming sunlight while Makoto wondered again at the ludicrousness of being in a school.

Then, she stumbled to an unsteady halt when she turned her head back toward the forest, her original destination. For Makoto didn't expect Zandra to be outside the throng of trees, especially with Kaida in tow. She certainly didn't anticipate Charlie Weasley to be there, strangely close to the Antipodean Opaleye dragon and her young, which the green eyed woman knew Zandra was fiercely protective over.

But Charlie Weasley didn't seem to acknowledge this, because he bent and lifted the tumbling Kaida back on her feet nonchalantly. A smile lit up his tanned, grudgingly admitted attractive face when he spotted her standing several feet away, privately wondering why the large dragon had not proceeded to bite the man's head off.

"Hey!" He called. In surrender, Makoto walked over, her questioning eyes on Zandra. Surprisingly, the dragon barely granted her any attention, and continued to stump the tall brunette by allowing Charlie to stroke her muzzle. "I've just been meeting with your dragon. She's beautiful."

"_My _dragon?" Makoto snapped back, her face curling into a sneer. Her attitude startled him, but not overly so, because he quickly smiled, apologetically even. This threw the green eyed woman off some, though she scarcely showed it. Zandra distracted her, multicolored gaze set on her as she spoke. Charlie stayed quiet during the exchange, not able to understand the soft growl of the dragon.

"Er, I didn't mean it like that. I know she's not your dragon, I just meant, you know, you're obviously friends," he trailed off, perceptibly uncomfortable. A dash of anger dissipated from Makoto's sharp features, disappearing between his ongoing gracelessness and Zandra's words. At least, she reasoned, he referred to Zandra as 'she' and not 'it.'

"Makoto," she shoved her hand out in the space between them, and Charlie took the hint, quickly shaking her hand before she changed her mind.

"Charlie," he offered with a lopsided grin, and Makoto felt her face ease into a strained smile. A promise is a promise, she told herself, as Ami's anxious face passed through her thoughts.

"Zandra says you're trustworthy, so I guess I can put up with you for now." Charlie found he couldn't tell whether this was a serious statement or a joke, but he half smiled as he let go of her hand. Forcing herself, Makoto went on, "So, what kind of work do you do with dragons?"

"Oh, well, the team in Romania keeps tabs on the dragons in the area. We make sure that they stay in a safe environment away from muggles and wizards alike. I've worked all over the globe though, even in New Zealand, home of the Antipodean Opaleye, which I'm sure you already know." The redhead flashed another bright smile, and Makoto couldn't help but note how easily the expression came to his face. She tried to return the gesture, but it didn't come half as effortless. Still, it encouraged him to go on.

"But you, I'll admit I envy you a lot." At her raised, inquiring eyebrow, he went on, "It must be wonderful, talking to dragons. They're absolutely my life. Dragons are the most beautiful creatures on the earth."

As he spoke, Charlie watched Zandra and Kaida interact with great contentment. The look that highlighted his brown eyes, to Makoto's surprise, almost bordered on affection. He meant absolutely everything he said, and as much as the stubborn brunette hated to admit it Ami may have been right about him. '_You're not so bad, Charlie Weasley._'

**xXx**

"The whole forest is in chaos," Ami turned her wavered attentions back toward Firenze. The persistently calm centaur sounded a bit agitated, and from his perspective, a bit of frustration translated to quite a lot. With a small tilt of her head, she beckoned him to explain, and he did. "The phoenix continue coming everyday, yesterday a whole colony of Thestral showed up, and just this morning, Veela. Not to mention the dragon. Everything is in uproar."

"Veela?" The blue haired woman smiled lightly despite the situation. The look from Firenze brought her back to the more serious matter, "Firenze, you'll have to separate each group accordingly so that everyone can exist peacefully. If everyone plops down wherever they feel like, you're bound to have problems."

"I agree, Lady Ami, but the problem isn't what to do, it's the fact that none of them will listen." Firenze spoke with tested patience, so much that Ami wanted to laugh with her amusement. Instead, she nodded sympathetically.

"I'll get Rei and Makoto down here to help. If the Veela arrived this morning than Minako should be here any time, and she'll help as well. We don't know when Hotaru is returning, though. Will that work for you?" Unable to hide the smile that tugged at her lips, she felt guilty for viewing her friend's predicament entertaining in the least. Despite it he appeared grateful and bid her farewell so she could get the said plan underway.

**Later that day**

Absolutely falling into her seat at the table, the exhausted blue eyed woman welcomed the thought of a nice hot dinner, and later sleep. The whole day turned into a complete fiasco of separating some hostile Veela from some temperamental Thestrals without the aid of Minako or Hotaru. Luckily, Rei could converse with the phoenixes and they could apparently communicate to the Thestrals.

The Veela, now that was a whole other story. Ami felt the throb of a headache just thinking about it. Somehow, though, it did manage to get settled and now the only controversy that forced itself upon her was the constant quarrelling between Rei and the man named Sirius Black. As she picked apart her plate, Ami silently wondered why they didn't think to sit at opposite ends of the table. At least Makoto and Charlie were having an awkward but pleasant conversation now.

When dinner ended, Ami let the large group of people file out before her while she hung back, thankful that she didn't have to hear anymore of Rei's passionately angry outbursts for the night. The raven haired girl would be in the bath when she arrived in the room, and she could fall asleep peacefully. Once the crowd thinned, the petite woman headed for the door, only to be called back before she made it half way there.

"Ami, I heard there was a bit of a predicament in the Forbidden Forest today?" Ami looked Dumbledore over, stuck between the urge to laugh at the understatement and perhaps get upset at his sheer uselessness in the matter. Of course, she did neither.

"Yes, the groups weren't interacting very well, between themselves and the creatures who already live in the forest. We had to sort everything out, but it should be fine from here on out." Ami offered a reassuring to back her statement up, even though she knew it probably wasn't true

"Wonderful. I also wondered if you haven't heard from your friend Usagi." Dumbledore inquired pleasantly. The feeling of nausea struck Ami quite suddenly with this, further proof that this man's only interest was to save his school, not offer them companionship. Something must have translated into her expression, for he hastily went on, "I'm only concerned for her safety. There've been reports of Death Eater activity among the werewolves and several people have turned up dead."

"Ah," Ami looked generally startled at the revelation, "No, I haven't heard from her in a few days. But trust me when I say that Usagi can take care of herself." She then excused herself, the thought of a nice warm bed her main focus as she walked toward their sleeping quarters.

**xXx**

Chibiusa touched lightly against her neck, still warm from her bath, and covered the two tiny scars there with her fingertips. Her pink hair, wet and wrapped in a towel, failed to cover them as usual. Looking at the deep pink scar tissue irritated the not so blatant scars over her heart. She quickly pulled the towel from her head and picked up the blow dryer.

Twenty minutes later she stepped from the still steamy bathroom, her hair pulled into their cone shaped buns and the streamers falling over her shoulders. The house rang abnormally quiet from the fervor of breakfast that morning, so Chibiusa sought out her mother. She found her sitting on their small porch, alone, her head rested lightly against the back of the chair and her blue eyes shut to the world.

"Mama, where's Minako?" The question hung in the air. If not familiar with Usagi's quirky sleeping habits, the young girl might have suspected she was napping. She waited quietly and patiently for an answer.

"Gone. She's left to round up the Veela and meet up with the girls at Hogwarts. Everyone is at Hogwarts now." The blonde's tone emerged uncharacteristically quiet as she spoke. It brought a small frown to Chibiusa's face.

"Not everyone." This short reply finally coaxed Usagi to crack an eyelid, and observe her daughter from top to bottom. She couldn't decide if these words meant the two of them, or perhaps Setsuna. The hot, mid afternoon sun brought the sheen of sweat across her brow and she closed her eye again. Though four years passed already, it still felt like only yesterday that Mamoru sat beside her on this very porch, and the younger Chibiusa played in the wheat fields with the unicorns. Setsuna lived next door and Hotaru watched timidly from the dining room window, reluctant to leave the safety of her house.

"We're leaving tomorrow. Helios will follow the next day. Whatever you do, you cannot tell Fenrir. Do you understand?" Chibiusa, startled from her own wandering memories, turned toward the older woman with a shocked face. Only the disbelief registered at first, then the understanding, and then the feeling of sadness, of deceit.

"I do understand. He won't." The red eyed teenager retreated back into the house to gather a few belongings, while Usagi quietly lamented over the truth in her words. Still, the word of attack grew closer and more dangerous everyday. The thought of being assailed by Death Eaters in the night, of Chibiusa in danger, the blonde wanted to get out as fast as she could. Regretfully, the easiest way to go about it meant she shouldn't tell Fenrir, but the thought of such a betrayal made her stomach churn.

However, she promised Minako early that morning that she would leave the following day. Further still, she had promised Mamoru that she would always protect Chibiusa, no matter the cost.

**xXx**

_What a rude, selfish, arrogant, completely insufferable jerk! _As Ami unwittingly predicted, Rei already invaded the bathroom, throwing her towel and night gown down in frustration as she prepared to fill the tub. She poured an extra helping of bubbles, assuring herself that her additional portion of anxiety warranted the suds.

After her first unpleasant meeting with Sirius Black, he seemed to show up everywhere she turned in the castle. Aside from grating constantly on her nerves, there never existed a moment they weren't arguing over something or other. _Any sane person would've left me alone by now. Then again, nothing about this situation_ is_ sane to begin with._

The sound of a light tap on glass reached her ears, filtering from the bedroom. Rei, already stripped to her under garments, wrinkled her eyebrow in confusion. Ami still hadn't arrived from dinner, she knew because the door hadn't opened. Curiosity got the better of her, and the violet eyed woman opened the bathroom door to stick her head out; after she wrapped a towel around her prone form, of course.

With a smile, she stepped into the empty room and walked quickly across the floor. She unlatched the window and stepped aside, allowing the beautiful red and orange bird to enter. "Aideen. I bet you could feel my frustration all the way out there, huh?"

Rei paced back into the bathroom, enjoying the soothing song of the phoenix as she followed behind. She could practically feel the tension unknot from her neck and shoulders when she finally sank into the steamy bath water. Aideen rested near the edge of the waters and curled up into a comfortable position, still singing softly. The melody echoed off the stone walls, wrapped itself all around the raven haired girl, and allowed her to completely relax.

Soon, the two of them sang in harmony, completely out of touch with the world around them. Rei leaned her head gently against the side of the tub, her eyes closed, absorbed in the vacant nothingness of song, free of thought.

That's when the vision struck, and sent a jolt like lightning straight up her spine. Red, blood, screaming, and the flashing of spells. Fear pumped through Rei's chest as her heart hammered painfully. She jumped to her feet still dripping wet and snatched the discarded towel from the floor. Aideen stopped singing, sensing the troubled mind of her companion, and cooed softly in inquiry.

The raven haired woman looked completely ashen as she threw her clothes on hastily. Not bothering to even acknowledge the phoenix, or her drenched hair that plastered against her face and neck, she ran bare foot from the bathroom and the bedroom beyond.

Ami's vague shout of concern echoed down the corridor, yet Rei didn't register it. She ran, her legs pumping swiftly beneath her, like a gazelle from a lion, her violet eyes narrowed in determination. Whoever she passed would only whip their heads around and watch her leave, awed and bewildered at what could have her so frantic.

Finally, the winded woman stumbled to an unsteady halt in front of the two grand entrance doors of the castle. It took all the strength she possessed to pull one open enough to get outside, but in her state of panic she managed to do so. Her shaky legs led her to the flight of stairs that descended onto the grounds, but she bore no reason to continue.

The figure in the sky, laughably easy to spot even in the dim light, spun out of control as it rapidly dropped altitude. Vaguely Rei could make out the broomstick and the slumped figure atop it, trying to hold control over the bucking transport. Her stomach did unpleasant turns in her abdomen as the broom finally crashed into the stone steps, flinging the person forward to the top of the staircase.

Rei lurched forward onto her knees, beside the now visible woman with blonde hair lying across her face. Haphazardly she shoved the strands aside and cradled her friend's pale face in her hands, relieved to see her still alive, still breathing.

"R-Rei," she gasped, but could not be heard over the shocked cry that came from behind them. Ami, winded, ran to the two, her eyes filling rapidly with tears.

"Minako, what happened?" The blue haired woman demanded, her voice trembling.

"No time, we've got to get her treated." Rei, now more pallid than ever, attempted to lift Minako from the ground to no avail. She knew the sticky liquid that coated her hands was blood, but she didn't have enough strength to pick up the blonde woman or help her.

Then suddenly, a shadow blocked the shaft of light spilling from inside the castle. No words were spoken as the new arrival stepped up beside Rei and lifted the petite Minako into their arms. The blonde, previously heaving and gasping for air, had fallen unconscious a moment before and the dead weight almost threw them off balance. Still, they persisted inside and led the group all the way to the infirmary.

**xXx**

Hotaru leaned into Ciaran's mane, letting her weary eyes fall closed. Silently she celebrated her second success, the second colony that would travel to Hogwarts the following day. Another weight shifted from her shoulders, she could allow herself to breathe easy, but only for the moment.

Again her indigo eyes parted, and she took in the scattered lights over the dark, dark earth below. Most of this world slept, yet she couldn't. Sleep only warranted memories, nightmares that left her more exhausted than not sleeping at all. She needed desperately the comfort of her friend, Chibiusa, or Michiru and Haruka, or even Usagi. Yes, she needed security, but she couldn't stop now.

_I must keep going. I must do more. I must prove my worth. _Hotaru repeated the mantra over and over again, using the phrase to keep her awake. The only person who could make this all better, however, would never come. _I hadn't proved myself worthy. Setsuna left because of me._

Hotaru clenched her eyes closed as the tears stung them. Ciaran neighed softly, attempting to comfort her, but Hotaru could not be consoled. Instead, she asked the Thestral to pick up speed. They could reach destination before dawn, with any luck. _If I'm strong, if I can do this, Setsuna will come back. Setsuna will forgive me, I know it._

Though she tried, the ebony haired teenager could hold her eyes apart no longer. She slumped, fast asleep, against Ciaran just as the first rays of sunrise peeked over the horizon.

**xXx**

Okay, so, Hotaru has a terribly short part, I leave you with a cliffhanger, and don't include Haruka or Michiru. Yes, you have permission to whack me with slimy wet fish. The reason I left Michiru and Haruka out, well, in my head where the story is playing out, nothing in their situation has changed and I don't want it to seem too redundant. But never fear, Michiru's emotional breaking point is coming soon, next chapter or the one after.

Setsuna appears. :o Mamoru gets another vague mention. The suspense grows. It does, right? Well, hope you had fun, and sorry for the delay. I had my summer vacation in Miami and was away for two weeks with no internet or computer access.

So tell me what you think of Setsuna, and I'm sure you've figured out her creature. Maybe. Also, some more subtle hints on what's happened in the past. Thanks for everyone who reviewed; it means the world to me.

Oh, and Italy won the World Cup, woot. :D Though I kind of wanted Brazil to go all the way again. No more rambling though, see you next time!

♥SachiNyoko♥


	6. Chapter 6

"What happened to her?" Those were the first words out of the infirmary nurse's mouth. Even Rei appeared surprised that the woman didn't act a bit more frantic at the situation. The absolutely ashen blonde still bled steadily from somewhere near her abdomen as they placed her on the bed. In seconds the clean white sheets turned scarlet with blood.

"She was attacked," Rei answered shakily, the only one of them who actually knew. "Death Eaters attacked her."

The nurse hadn't waited for her explanation before she had begun casting healing spells, trying to close the wound. Ami attempted to help her; though she didn't have Hotaru's natural healing powers, healing magic was one of her strengths. Rei knew nothing of what she could do but hold desperately on to Minako's hand and pray she would be okay.

This didn't seem to work, for the blonde quickly began to get worse. Even unconscious, she heaved and gagged until the streams of blood came spilling from her lips. Rei felt her knees give, and she pressed Minako's slack hand against her forehead as she continued to hope. The tears fell from her eyes, and something in the action jolted her.

Standing straight again, with much effort, her face scrunched in concentration. No one noticed until the large orange and red bird swooped in the still open door, and landed on the edge of the bed. "Aideen, please."

Rei's plea came out nothing more than a soft whine to both parties, but the phoenix understood. She lowered her head to Minako's stomach as the first pearly tear slid down. The room stilled in apprehension, as Minako went limp on the hospital bed. Her breathing slowed into steady rhythms. If the raven haired girl cried before, she absolutely bawled now, mostly from relief.

Ami circled around to the other side of the bed, her eyes teary as well, and pulled the hysterical woman into a comforting hug. They both held each other for several minutes until Rei calmed, while the other two conscious people in the room looked on reverently. The nurse finally returned to her office, but the other did not offer the same amount of privacy.

"Rei, I'm going to tell Makoto. You stay here, hmm?" Rei nodded, wiping her eyes. As she watched the blue haired woman leave, she marveled at her strength, when usually the sturdy shoulder should've been her in the situation. Shaking her head, she turned to the tall man standing slightly to the side, a bit unwillingly.

"Thank you," the words fell grudgingly from her lips as she stared into a set of stormy gray eyes. For once, they didn't shine with arrogance or mirth, but something deeper. Something the violet eyed woman could not place at all. "I appreciate what you've done."

"You're welcome," he nodded, nervous. The fact he said nothing further she found unnerving, to say the least. At any moment she expected the barb or the prodding joke to jolt from his lips. Under the circumstances, she might have welcomed anything to distract her from the somber mood.

Instead he knew to be serious. Perhaps the man actually consisted of more than immaturity and annoyance. Their eyes stayed connected, hers glowing and flickering like flames in harmony with the candles, his dark and murky like two clouds bursting with rain. The whisper of the wind rattling the windows carried in the space around them.

"I'm glad your friend is okay." Finally, Sirius Black turned slightly, in the direction of the door, and slowly made his leave. Every footstep made an echo in the deathly quiet room as Rei observed his back, trying to sort through the flurry of emotions in her heart. As the door clicked softly closed, Aideen let out a low, melodic tone that soothed the woman's soul.

"I think I do too, Aideen."

**xXx**

Ami leaned softly into her pillow, thoughts swarming endlessly through her mind. The night, chaotic to say the least, finally started to lull enough for her to sleep.

However, what felt like seconds after she dozed, the sunlight prodded roughly at her eyelids. She woke still feeling exhausted, and with the sick feeling that the day would be yet another restless one for her. If only she could know how right that prediction was, she may have rolled over and went to sleep until the next morning.

The first event of chaos; Haruka disrupted the whole castle's breakfast by stampeding the Great Hall yelling obscenities as she sought out the blue haired woman. When they finally settled her down enough to speak coherently, she said simply that Michiru would be announcing her leave to the Merpeople and the two would promptly join everyone in the castle. Only, the sandy haired woman spoke with vastly colorful language.

After breakfast, Ami apologized to the annoyingly amused Dumbledore for the disturbance and corrupting profanity pushed upon his young student's ears. Once that cleared up, she left for the Forbidden Forest to check the progression of preparations involving the battle that could likely present itself at any moment.

To her great displeasure, Bane and Firenze were at each other's throats on the matter and not ready to accept any options but their own. It took all of four hours to settle the dispute between the proud centaurs and another half hour to listen to Firenze's apologies on the whole fiasco. A weary Ami trudged back up to the castle for lunch, which had to be brought straight from the kitchens since she missed the formal occasion completely.

The blue eyed woman then checked up on Minako, to find her still unconscious in the hospital wing. Rei slept peacefully at her side, dozed off to chapters of a paperback book still clasped in her hand. For a few moments she smiled and ignored her envy at the raven haired woman's comfort.

Then, reluctantly, she helped set up the preparations for a new room to house Haruka and Michiru. Just as she finished up there, Firenze sent for her in the forest. To her further dismay, the continuing arrival of an array of creatures still had the forest in pandemonium.

With much needed help from Makoto, they diligently sorted through the mess and got everyone on shakily friendly terms. The two women left to dinner, which Ami was glad to be on time for, and tore hungrily through her food. She still listened gloomily as Rei told her of Minako's persistent unconscious state.

The dinner ended, Ami rushed from the Great hall as quickly as her legs allowed. When her feet planted on the cool grass of the grounds, she slowed, and allowed the soft breeze to brush against her. Each slow step brought her toward the forest, where she already knew Firenze would be waiting, because he always could sense when she needed him most.

"Lady Ami," the white haired centaur never appeared more majestic, or calm, steady. Without qualms, she crumpled forward, knowing full well he would catch her. The tension evaporated from her shoulders, from her throbbing head, and even her sore muscles. "You look like you've had a trying day."

"A trying life," Ami murmured. Firenze smiled lightly, knowingly as the blue haired woman pulled away. The stiff, proud posture she held all day slowly slumped, her face smoothed, and she relaxed completely. The centaur curled on the ground, his equine legs beneath him, and Ami fell in beside him.

Her small frame leaned against him, blue eyes drifted closed. She relished in the warmth and comfort he offered, overruling the chill of evening air that swirled around them. For a very long time they sat in silence, simply enjoying each other's company. Until night fall, when Ami reluctantly pulled away and returned to the castle.

As she entered to the expanse of hall, her feet stopped abruptly and a gasp escaped her. There, standing before her, was a certain pigtailed blonde and her pink haired daughter. Involuntarily, her right eye twitched. This called for another room.

**xXx**

"What?" Without consulting a mirror, the woman knew her face turned ashen. The previously, and oddly, stressed face of Ami dissolved into sympathy as she nodded. "How? What happened?"

"Auntie Minako is hurt?" Chibiusa looked petrified, literally, as still as a statue. Usagi felt the same, but her capacity for composure spanned further, and she placed her arm delicately around the young girl's shoulders.

"Death Eaters attacked her en route." Rei leaned into the stone wall, her arms crossed over her middle as thought protecting from something, "I believe Voldemort has learned of us. If it's true, he will do everything in his power to stop us, even if it means attacking the weakest of us first. Not to suggest that Minako is the weakest of us, but one of the few outside Hogwarts walls at this point."

Those intense violet eyes passed gently over Chibiusa, and only the disoriented pink haired girl didn't pick up on the notion. Usagi's eyes hardened. She pulled the girl closer to her as they followed the two through the halls of the castle. The room they finally entered felt cold, and extremely quiet. Never would she believe walking in that her vivacious younger sister inhabited the room.

Fatedly, Usagi realized how wrong she was, for Minako slept in the very first bed as pallid as the sheets pulled around her tiny form. Chibiusa immediately cried out and flung herself at the bed. The pigtailed woman watched, stoic, as her daughter cradled Minako's hand against her cheek and murmured softly to her aunt.

"She looks sick," Makoto winced as she entered the room behind the three, a blanket folded in her arms. The brunette walked around them, to the bed, and covered Minako with the extra covers before she placed her hand on top of the younger girl's head.

"Her external wounds were healed by Aideen. She's still unconscious, but we think it's only from weakness. After all, there was a lot of blood loss. She should wake up tomorrow." Rei informed softly, as she also reached her hand over to place on Usagi's arm. "Minako will be fine. We both know how strong and stubborn she is."

"Yes," Usagi nodded, her smile finally returning. "Much too stubborn to be taken down by a few Death Eaters. But this certainly does change a few things."

The graveness in her voice certainly startled Ami and Rei, but the sentiment didn't show through on the blonde's face as she walked over to the bed. After a moment, Ami excused herself to talk with Dumbledore about the new arrivals. Usagi placed her hand against Minako's forehead, the skin ice cold to the touch. No wonder Makoto had brought in a blanket.

Soon, the brunette pulled her to the side, away from the engrossed Chibiusa. At some point, Rei left, other matters to attend to, but the two women leaned in close to each other and spoke in low tones. Makoto went first. "Somehow we've been drawn into this against our will. The situation is worrisome."

"Voldemort is either bold or stupid." Usagi turned, her eyes rooted to the pale girl in the infirmary bed. "I won't forgive him for this. But you are right. Strangely enough everyone has been thrown into this battle even though we objected to begin with."

"Zandra has left." The blonde woman looked up, shocked, at the ever calm brunette. "She left Kaida in my care. She told me that she would find dragons to join the battle, no matter how I refused."

Indeed Usagi now noticed that Makoto's hair lay free around her shoulders, and the baby dragon could barely be seen nuzzled against her neck. The green eyed woman clenched her fists, her eyes becoming emotional, so much that the other woman had to pull her into a hug. She said, her voice thick, "I don't want them to die, Usagi. My family, friends, I don't want them to die."

"Makoto," the blonde closed her eyes, unsure of what else she could possibly say. Truthfully, they could die. It might not be okay. They both knew that each understood the risk. Usagi couldn't think of any words to comfort her, and hoped her actions for once spoke louder than words.

**xXx**

"I just can't take it any more." Despite all circumstances, the teal haired woman proved the essence of tranquility as she informed the Merman of her intent. Earlier that morning, all earthly belongings had been precariously thrown together and prepared for departure. "I cannot stand by and watch this any longer. I'm going to the surface."

"I also feel the same way." On the contrary, her sandy haired companion used a tone of barely controlled rage in every syllable of every word. "You are all cowards--"

Michiru placed her hand lightly on Haruka's shoulder, stopping her flow of speech before the council member in front them became any more red in the face. "Please understand and respect our wishes. If you do not want us to return at the end of this that is also reasonable." A pause, as though she waited for a response, before, "Well then, regretfully, goodbye."

"You would leave," Michiru hadn't the time to turn around before the sharp words came from the Merman's lips. Her emotional, shining eyes searched his face for a meaning, implored him to go on. "You would leave with the knowledge that you most certainly will never be welcomed back here, back anywhere among your people."

For a very rare occurrence, the normally composed and graceful woman took on a look of pure anger. Though mostly fuelled by indignation than actual malice. Haruka held an expression of sheer murder. The former spoke well enough for herself when she replied, "I would leave, _sir_, knowing that I am doing the right thing."

Not another word passed between them as the two swam toward the surface, and Michiru seldom reminisced on the moment with regret. When Haruka questioned her in a fleeting moment, she simply stated, "If you lament over acting on what you believe in, then you really don't believe in it, do you?"

It wasn't until they actually settled into their room that they heard the grim news of Minako's attack. Ami explained she didn't want to tell Haruka earlier when she was so upset already. After they visited the infirmary, the two returned to their room to indulge in conversation.

"Are we going to look for Hotaru?" Michiru asked quietly as she sat on the pillows and curled her knees to her chest, resting her head against them. The sandy haired woman took a spot on the pillow next to her and stretched her legs out across the bed.

"I think it may be best to let her do this alone. She's felt useless to everyone since everything with Setsuna happened, you know." Haruka leaned into the headboard as the teal haired woman gently nodded. "Still, I can't help but worry about her."

"When you commit to caring for someone you doom yourself to worrying about them for the rest of your life." Michiru smiled before she said, "Take me and you. I'm constantly worried that one day you'll snap and beat some poor person to a bloody pulp."

"Are you making fun of me, Michi?" Haruka pouted. No real offence was taken, and the sound of the other woman's laughter soothed the blue eyed woman more than she could ever say.

"Only in good humor, Ruka dear," came the amused reply. In a slightly more somber tone she added, "We might as well make the most of humor now."

"Yes," Haruka agreed, her hand finding Michiru's in the space between them. Squeezing the slender hand of her lover, she said, "We might find our supply of humor sparse very soon."

**xXx**

That certain ebony haired girl felt worry about her personal sentiments as well. Her hands entwined around Ciaran's neck as they rode full speed for Hogwarts. She worried even though she implored four whole tribes to join to cause to the day, it still would not measure up. She feared that despite all they were doing that Voldemort would prove too strong.

In the faint distance, she could see the turrets and towers of the castle reaching over the horizon. Chibiusa concerned her most. Even with Usagi and Helios there at very moment, watching, protecting, she still looked vulnerable in Hotaru's eyes.

The sharp descent toward the ample span of grass before the castle disoriented her senses, for her thoughts distracted her and she forgot momentarily about the upcoming landing. She steadied herself as she climbed from Ciaran's back and bid him to check on the other Thestrals for her while she met with her friends.

As she slowly ascended the stone stairs, the indigo eyed teenager felt apprehension swirl through her stomach. _I suppose it's our destiny to feel estranged in a group of people. _

When she entered the Entrance Hall, the precise silence made her all the more nervous. Past twilight, she figured the students of the school to be tucked away in bed already, but it felt in that moment like she was the only living thing in the whole castle.

Thankfully, before she could start debating on which direction to head, Usagi emerged from a hallway to the left. In an instant her blue eyes fell on the lonesome Hotaru by the castle doors, and a smile spread over her face. As soon as she walked the expanse of the hall, she pulled the young girl into a tight hug.

"I'm so glad you're safe," the sentiment was expected from Hotaru, but she could tell there was a deeper anxiety behind it and instantly worried something may have happened to Chibiusa. The thought quickly ebbed when she realized Usagi would never greet her with a smile under such circumstances, even one of relief.

"Did something happen?" Hotaru leveled to ask, wanting to know the meaning behind the sudden quirk of behavior. When the blonde pulled back, her face shone a bit grim.

"Minako was attacked by Death Eaters." At the girl's alarmed expression, she added, "She's fine now, though still unconscious. Aideen healed her. Chibiusa is in the infirmary with her now. I can take you, if you want."

Hotaru nodded, and followed as the woman turned and walked back down the hall from which she appeared. While they walked, the younger girl occupied herself by watching Usagi's streamers of blonde hair sway in motion with her steps.

"Haruka and Michiru are staying in the castle now. I'm sure they'll want to see you later, hmm?" The blue eyed woman spoke barely above a whisper, her thoughts very far away from the words she uttered.

"Yes, I'll visit them." Hotaru agreed. They finally stopped at a door, and Usagi didn't hesitate to enter, so she didn't think twice about following. Minako, nestled among sheets and excess blankets, seemed to be the only patient. Chibiusa occupied the bedside chair, clasping one of her aunt's hands between both of hers and studying her sleeping face with a distinct anxiousness in her scarlet eyes.

When she looked up and spotted Hotaru, she sprang from the chair and enveloped her friend in a bone crushing hug, full of the same relieved fervor that Usagi demonstrated earlier. "Hotaru, I was so worried! After I heard about Minako I thought that maybe something happened to you too."

"It's okay, I'm fine." The ebony haired girl felt a bit uncomfortable from all the excess attention, but she smiled reassuringly at her friend when she pulled away.

"I should be mad at you, you know. You told me you wouldn't leave and you did anyway." Chibiusa half glared at the other girl, but under Hotaru's genuinely guilty expression she quickly crumbled. "It's fine though, I understand."

"Oh, Hotaru, when did you get here?" They all turned to Ami in the doorway, her pretty face openly shocked to see the indigo eyed teenager standing in the room.

"Not half an hour ago." Hotaru answered quietly.

"You're staying too? We'll have to arrange another room," the blue haired woman instantly set into an efficient mode, ready to walk back out to meet up with Dumbledore. Chibiusa halted her before she could leave.

"Wait, Hotaru can stay in our room." The pink haired girl smiled brightly at her friend, "Won't that be better than staying all on your own? We'll have to share a bed but the beds are pretty big."

"Um, yeah, that's fine." Hotaru conceded, nodding at Ami's inquisitive glance. "That'll be great."

**xXx**

Tracing her fingertips over the smooth fabric of her four poster bed, Makoto wondered why she couldn't concentrate. Part of it, she figured, must belong to the restless Kaida who missed her mother terribly. Another part, she wagered, owed to the fact that Zandra, that exact mother, hadn't yet returned from her sudden departure.

The final part the brunette struggled with, unwilling to admit to the truth through her span of pride. She could not deny, however, how her thoughts continuously drifted toward a certain redhead and his easy smile. _It's because of the dragons. He practically knows more about them than I do._

Makoto rolled onto her side and stared into the rich red of the curtain. Kaida stirred briefly by her feet, moving around into a more comfortable position before instantly dozing off again. With a sigh, the green eyed beauty whispered to herself, "Who are you trying to fool, Makoto?"

The fact she couldn't even worry as much for Minako as she should made her feel ashamed. More than anything, Makoto hated losing control of her emotions like this. She should be the strong, sturdy one, undeterred, unaffected. Yet not even the fiercest woman of them could fight off the disease known as love.

"It's not love. I barely know the guy. It's just an infatuation and it _will_ go away." After Makoto said this, she couldn't hold her laughter in. It sounded like she was threatening herself. As her face grew somber again, she gently slipped between the gaps in the curtain and tiptoed from the room.

_I've been cooped up too long. I need some fresh air. _That's what the brunette decided when she descended the stairs toward the Entrance Hall. In an uncanny twist of fate, as she crossed the vast hall toward the castle exit, Charlie Weasley appeared from another hallway and flagged her down. Makoto wanted to evaporate on the spot.

"Hey, Makoto! I haven't seen Zandra or Kaida around, where are they?" The redhead stopped in front of her, mildly winded, and offered up one of those killer smiles. Her green eyes shifted back and forth, hoping for an easy escape to present itself. No such luck.

"Zandra left to recruit dragons for the cause. I didn't approve but she wouldn't listen to me. She left Kaida in my care," No matter how chaotic her mind whirled, Makoto strived to keep composure on the outside. She pulled it off quite well, or well enough to say the least.

"Wow, she must really trust you to leave her offspring in your care at such a young age," Charlie marveled, his face innocently shocked. It was sucking her in, and there was nothing she could do to fight it.

"We're family." Her answer came a little ruder than she intended, more a part of her natural defense mechanism. Charlie didn't appear to notice nor mind the sudden harsh tones, and that bothered the hell out of her. She might have felt better if he reacted normally, indignant or offended. "Anyway, I need to get outside for a while so I'm taking a walk. You're welcome to come along."

_Oh god I didn't just invite him. _But she had, and he readily accepted, following her through the castle doors.

**xXx**

Hello loves. Don't ask why I've taken so long with this chapter, because I honestly don't know. It definitely isn't writer's block, because every time I opened up the file I typed continuously. I think I'm a bit mentally disoriented because I keep forgetting things. -.- Anyway, mostly everyone realized Setsuna is affiliated with Vampires.

You know, I never have to worry about short chapters for this story. By the time I finish each character's scene I've usually hit 4,000 words, which is pretty colossal as far as I'm concerned. The last chapter got a lot of reviews, so thank you everyone who did review. :D

A thought kept drifting through my mind writing this chapter, but I thought if I was bold enough to try it I might get mauled. xD The thought? Hotaru/Chibiusa Tell me what you think of that. I'm just interested, not saying I'm going to make that the coupling or anything, but I want to know your opinion on the matter.

-SachiNyoko


	7. Chapter 7

Makoto shifted her irritated green eyes from one side to the other, trying her hardest to come up with a plausible solution to her problem. That very problem, one Charlie Weasley walking beside her on the right side, remained oblivious as he continued to bring up enthusiastic questions about Zandra. Finally, it came to her, and she stopped in her walking.

"You know, I left Kaida in my room. I should get back before she wakes up." The brunette turned and sped toward the castle, unaware that Charlie had matched her pace until he spoke again. She nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Could I come see her? How is her flying?" Makoto slowed to a stop, turning to the man beside her, her green eyes focused on his face. No matter how much she wanted, she couldn't spot the least bit of insincerity, of dishonesty. _He really does care about them. I just can't believe..._

She stopped the thought, knowing that truly she could believe it, but she didn't want to give in. She didn't want to trust someone so completely, but she was running out of excuses, and she had made a promise. Deciding to submit, her face eased into a smile, and she said, "Sure. She's actually doing really well with flying."

The expression caught Charlie off guard; as opposed to her usual scowl, the smile made Makoto's face glow, her eyes sparkling, and he just knew that his face was turning red as his hair. Not noticing, or perhaps just pretending not to, she turned and kept walking toward her room, knowing that he followed by the sound of his shoes on the flagstones. Her room was the first door, and she was thankful that she kept the space tidy.

As she slipped inside, she knew Kaida was still asleep, mainly because the room wasn't reduced to wreckage. The young dragon would've panicked if she woke alone, no doubt. Charlie still hovered behind her, surprisingly submissive, so Makoto walked over and pulled the curtain on her four poster bed. Kaida, still curled in the same position she'd left her, jolted awake at the noise, but appeared immediately cheerful at the sight of the girl's face.

The silver dragon then spotted Charlie, and in a flutter, leapt from the bed and flew toward him. The redhead caught the enthusiastic Kaida, startled, and Makoto couldn't help herself. She covered her mouth with her hand to stifle her laughter. The technique didn't work too well, the cheerful noise echoed in the enclosed room, earning equally surprised looks from Charlie and Kaida.

A laugh from the green eyed woman wasn't the most frequent occurrence, and Charlie had never heard it before. He could do nothing but stare. When her laughter died down, she noticed the attention, and cleared her throat. "Well, do you want to go with me for her flying lesson tomorrow?"

"Yes," Charlie agreed, showing his bright smile again, still cradling the baby dragon in his arms. Makoto walked over and collected Kaida from him, offering another smile, trying to make it look as natural as she could.

"Alright, I'll see you after lunch tomorrow then."

**xXx**

_Talk about a damned headache_. The pale blonde-haired woman blinked her eyes open slowly, grateful to the dimness of the light for not blinding her. It did not take long for the sound of soft snoring to catch her attentions, and she turned her blue eyes to the bedside with a smile. After Minako sat up in bed, she pushed the strands of mussed pigtails from her sister's face and draped her own blanket over her shoulders.

Carefully she crawled out of bed, the first rays of dawn through the windowpanes telling her it must be early morning. Her head throbbed, but nothing a good, strong cup of coffee couldn't cure. She had made it to Hogwarts, which was obvious, and now she needed to find someone she knew, preferably awake.

Therefore, running fingers through her hair distractedly, Minako stepped out of the quiet infirmary to the almost deathly silent halls. She hadn't wandered far when, by some stroke of luck, she spotted Ami walking straight towards her and called out her name.

"Oh, Minako, good morning; I was coming to check on you," a soft smile graced the blue haired woman's face as she observed her friend. "I'm glad you're okay now. You weren't so good. Everyone was worried. We should probably go wake Usagi right away, actually, or she'll be terribly upset."

"She's in there," Minako grinned, pointing her thumb back at the infirmary door. Ami looked surprised for a split second before she frowned.

"We sent her to bed last night; she must have snuck back out." She paused, her eyes drifting over the door, before she shook her head and smiled. "Anyway, you must be starving. I'll take you to your room so you can change and have a bath, and then we'll go to the Great Hall. Usagi can find her own way I think."

"That sounds wonderful," Minako giggled, walking arm in arm with Ami toward their rooms.

**xXx**

"Um, excuse me. Miss--Miss Usagi?" The pigtailed woman stiffened and shot up in her seat, the blanket around her shoulders falling useless behind her in the chair. Her blue eyes blinked several times, adjusting to the new light, and finally focused in on a pair of golden brown eyes. She stood, smiling at the person who woke her.

"Sorry, I must have dozed off, and my sister left," Usagi noted, her gaze scraping over the empty infirmary bed. "Really, I was so worried about her and she just up and left me. Terribly rude, don't you think, Remus Lupin?"

"I guess so," Remus answered, his eyes shifting away from her straightforward stare. The sound of her laughter filled his ears. When he dared to look again she had moved closer to him. Inclination wanted him to step back, but his foot wouldn't move at the most persistent command.

"The moon has already passed, I know, but do you feel okay?" Her warm hand covered his forehead, worried blue eyes still boring into his, "You look tired still. Are you still feeling any side effects?"

"I--I'm fine," Remus stepped back finally, out of her touch, his disobedient foot finally submitting to his wishes. He hadn't known what to expect as a reaction to this, maybe a touch of irritation at most. Yet her hand never wavered from the spot in midair, her face turned an ashen white, and her eyes widened. He became worried, until he realized her gaze rested over his shoulder, not at him.

"Fenrir," she muttered, her hand falling limply to her side. Remus turned, not prepared at all for the harsh expression etched into a pair of familiar, feral set of eyes, wisps of grey colored hair falling into them. Every muscle in his body tensed, but before he could make a move either way, Usagi stepped around him and met Fenrir head on.

"Usagi," His large hand easily circled her small forearm, but she didn't wince or appear afraid in the least. Her small hand rested over his for a brief second, and her big blue eyes settled on his golden.

"I know you're mad, Fenrir. I didn't have a choice." Remus watched, stupefied, while Usagi unabashedly wrapped her free arm around the older werewolf. His grip on her other arm loosened to nothing, though he didn't return the embrace. "I knew they were looking for me, I didn't want anyone else getting hurt. Especially Chibiusa and especially you, Fenrir, you're both too important to me."

"You didn't trust me to protect you," the blonde pulled away, her eyes searching Fenrir's face, detecting the indignation in which he accused her actions. The hurt also there, though he didn't at all show it, she knew instinctively he felt it.

"I guess I didn't, Fenrir. Do you expect an apology from me?" Her touch withdrew completely as she inquired, with her eyebrow quirked ever so slightly. The blonde knew the use in begging for forgiveness, and there was none.

"From you? No, of course not," despite the small joke, Fenrir frowned, his eyes jumping over the short woman's head to the still immobile Remus. Usagi followed his gaze, her eyes twinkling with amusement. The sudden shift in attention brought a smile to her face once more.

"Fenrir, you surely remember Remus Lupin. He's my new buddy." Though in truth she and Remus only met twice (including the very moment), Usagi couldn't deny herself a stab at Fenrir's pride. He huffed in annoyance at her, and Remus didn't move at all. She positively giggled before continuing, "I know you can't be staying here at Hogwarts too."

"No. I need to get back right away. I guess you won't be persuaded to join me?" Usagi shook her head softly, looking a bit apologetic. "Well I've already seen Chibiusa so I'll go."

"Come back and see me soon, okay?" Fenrir made no response as he left, and the blonde stayed still for a long time once he was gone, her eyes closed in thought, forgetting she still had a companion. Or so it seemed, until she turned with a smile and said, "See I told you he's much kinder now."

"I have reason to believe it's only you he's kinder to," Remus responded grimly, making Usagi's smile falter. It didn't last long, as she beckoned him to join her for breakfast, and they left for the Great Hall together.

**xXx**

Hotaru took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. Chibiusa had the idea to play hide and seek in the castle, convinced the huge territory would be perfect for the game. The ebony haired girl agreed, volunteered to be 'it', and somehow wandered off into an odd place in the castle. Odd, in this case, translated to gloomy, cold, and terrifying. She reached her hand out to place against the stone wall, but the icy chill that met her fingertips sent a shiver down her spine.

"Hey you," the indigo eyed girl turned sharply, her heart rate jumping at the sudden voice that penetrated the resounding silence. The speaker, a pale boy with fair hair and blue eyes colder than the flagstones that surrounded her, glared openly as he continued, "what are _you_ doing down here."

"My name is Hotaru. I got lost." Hotaru replied evenly. She wasn't about to be intimidated by a schoolboy who looked the same age as her, maybe a year or two older, even if the sneer with which he spoke appeared rather menacing. He scoffed at her, crossing his arms.

"Well, for your information, I'm Draco Malfoy, and you should know that the dungeons are Slytherin territory. You're obviously not a Slytherin." The boy, now identified as Draco Malfoy, said with much indignation. Hotaru's indigo eyes widened with surprise at the rudeness of his words, before they narrowed in anger.

"For your information, _Draco Malfoy_, I would not be here at all if I weren't lost because I think it's an absolutely dreadful place. I haven't the slightest inkling what a Slytherin is, but if they are all like you I wouldn't want to know them either." With satisfaction, the teenaged girl identified the look of shock that passed over Draco's face, but became a little perplexed when he suddenly smiled.

"I know who you are now." Her brow creased, but he continued as though he hadn't noticed, "You're one of those freaks that came to the castle, right? 'The Keepers of the Secret Language' is what they call you. My Father told me all about it."

Hotaru winced visibly at the harshness, the word 'freak' echoing in her head for several moments. She hadn't the time to muster a response before another voice interrupted them from behind, startling her yet again. "Hotaru, what are you doing? Who is this?"

"Nothing. No one." The ebony haired girl smiled as Chibiusa walked up beside her, though obviously strained. The other girl's red eyes observed the stranger curiously, while Draco only glared at the two of them. Hotaru placed a hand on her friend's arm and began to pull her away. "Come on, I've been lost forever. Let's get out of here."

"Oh, okay. Bye," Chibiusa allowed herself to be dragged away, offering a short farewell to the still silent boy in the hall. Once she turned and led them the proper way out of the dungeons, she implored her friend, "Who _was_ that? He was kind of cute, hmm?"

"Like I said, no one," Hotaru replied, frowning. The pink haired girl let her giggling subside at her friend's somber mood, and looked at her with concern. "Chibi, he was just some rude guy I ran into in the hall. He proceeded to call us freaks and tell me to get out of 'Slytherin territory.' That's why I wanted to leave as soon as possible."

"Oh," Chibiusa answered with her voice small. They walked along in silence for a few minutes with no real destination, until the pigtailed girl grabbed Hotaru's hand and they both halted in the middle of the hall. "We aren't. You know that, right? We aren't freaks."

Hotaru beamed, the gloom in her expression cleared away to nothing as she squeezed her best friend's hand. Even if Usagi wasn't Chibiusa's birth mother, their personalities were almost identical in the fact that they could both bring a smile to her face, no matter what. "I know, Chibi. I know."

**xXx**

"I know it may be soon to ask," Ami braced herself at these words, her tired oceanic eyes searching the man's face before her. Maybe pride was to blame, but nothing in Albus Dumbledore's face gave way to believing he felt remorse over his next question. Nodding, she pressed him to continue. "Are the forces organized well enough to attack if necessary? I'm concerned because of the constant struggle between the different beings that you've been telling me about."

The young woman could feel her body go rigid, and maybe the strange emotion that flickered on Dumbledore's face told her that the action was visibly obvious. She always considered herself a good judge of character, but that certainly didn't mean she'd never been wrong about someone. Her blue eyes gave Albus Dumbledore another once over; he seemed to stand for a resolute justice, but more than anything, Ami had one objective. To protect her friends at all costs.

"Listen, Dumbledore. We've all pledged ourselves and our dear friends to this cause. We did it because we want to protect these children, not for you or anyone else. That aside, you told me in the beginning that you wanted to reach out to us, to accept us." Ami softened then, her clear and honest expression boring straight through Dumbledore without hesitation. "Your actions have shown otherwise. Was that a lie, Albus Dumbledore? Are you only trying to use us to your benefit?"

"My dear," Albus moved closer, resting his hand on her arm gently. "I don't want to seem as if I'm using you. I know how important your friends are to you, but try to understand that I feel the same way about the children in this school. My first priority is their safety. _That's_ why I've asked you this, and maybe it appears like I'm pushing you all. I apologize for that. But what I said to you in our first meeting, when I told you that I wanted to accept you all, was most certainly not a lie. I still feel the same way."

Later, while Ami walked the halls of Hogwarts aimlessly, she continued to consider the sentiment. She realized that, put on the opposite end of the situation, she would probably be pressuring as well. Maybe then she understood, and maybe she could put her heart at ease on the subject.

It was then when the blue haired woman encountered one black haired man named Severus Snape. He held an armful of parchment, which Ami quickly deducted to be papers from his students that he'd graded. She placed the moment a good a time as any to ask something that'd been itching at her since they arrived at the school. "Hello, Severus. Are you heading to class?"

"Yes," he responded, his left eyebrow arching to give him an odd expression. "Why?"

"I wondered if I could sit in. I've never seen a wizarding class before." Ami turned her eyes to the floor, embarrassment showing by the red of her cheeks as she spoke. Severus continued to stare at the shorter girl, a little bewildered.

"Yes," so maybe he forgot himself in that moment. Maybe he felt compassion for someone as out of place as her. Ami lifted her head and smiled brightly, but before she could utter her thanks, he turned and continued his walk toward the dungeons. She quickly followed, her face aglow.

"Silence," The hum of conversation died out as soon as the intimidating form of Severus Snape glided into the room. Ami trailed sheepishly, trying to ignore the stares of the students as her face grew hotter. She took a seat behind Severus's desk while he stood at the front of the room, glaring down the fidgeting second year students. "We have an observer today."

Severus tapped his wand against the chalk board, where the instructions had already been written. "We're brewing the potion we discussed last class. I will be walking around to observe you."

The statement immediately preceded a shuffle of movement through the group of students as they set up their cauldrons and spread ingredients over their tables. Ami felt the overall atmosphere radiated anxiety, but she watched with fascination as the children chopped up roots of plants she had never seen before, stirred until their brews changed colors.

"It's amazing," she breathed, placing her chin in her hands and looking out over the classroom with contentment. So caught up, she forgot Severus still stood aside her. He looked over at her with complexity, his dark eyes narrowed. After a few moments, however, he remembered his teacher duties and began to circle the room.

Ami turned her attention to him then, watching as he would stop and point out the mistakes made. Sometimes he would give only a nod, which she assumed meant the potion met expectations. In this fashion, the class passed by much too quickly.

"Well?" Ami turned her sparkling blue eyes from the rows of children preparing to leave to the tall man next to her. A smile broke over her face as they all filed out, chattering.

"It's the most wonderful thing I've ever seen." She stood, still smiling, and held her hand out. Severus shook it after a moment's hesitation, "Thank you so much for letting me sit in today."

He only nodded. She turned and walked from the dungeon, taking her light and her smile with her.

**xXx**

Rei walked by Makoto and Charlie, ignoring the two that talked animatedly over their lunch. Her dark violet eyes stayed glued to the messy black hair a ways down the table. He looked bored, trying to engage his friend in conversation, but the other male was too busy listening to her friend Usagi going on about werewolves. She sat herself in the seat across from him, and his grey eyes jumped upward almost immediately.

"Hey," The raven haired woman offered, reaching for a dish down the table. She ate in small bites, acutely aware of being under his scrutiny, listening half-heartedly to the conversations of Usagi and Remus.

"Hey," Sirius finally responded, as though just registering what she'd said. Rei rolled her eyes and continued picking through her lunch. "Hey," he said again, drawing her attentions back across the table, "You want t go somewhere with me?"

"Like where?" Her answer surprised her. She should've just said no and been done with it. She was exhausted from being in the Forest all morning, dealing with the chaos still roving through there. Still, there was a hint of something in those grey eyes, and he almost grinned at her.

"You'll have to wait and see." Rei frowned, her disapproval apparent. Tapping her fork gently against her plate, she considered the offer. The mental image of him bursting through the front door of Hogwarts, of the pale Minako cradled in his arms while they navigated the halls. Her cheeks flamed, and she barely registered the pigtailed blonde that rose beside her.

Usagi paused, bent down, and whispered something to her before she rushed off to meet Remus at the end of the table. She pulled the startled man into a hug before exiting the Great Hall. Rei turned her widened eyes back to Sirius.

"Okay."

So it followed, quickly, that Sirius rose from the table and her to follow him. They escaped the Great Hall with little notice, and Rei trailed the figure of the man she thought she hated through halls of the Hogwarts castle for several minutes, wondering what implored her, aside from Usagi's quick, urgent whisper. _Go!_ Since when did she listen to her slightly ditzy best friend?

"We're here," The violet eyed girl gave a start, looking up at the still grinning Sirius Black. Something about that expression seem to give way to his less appealing attributes, but as her gaze traveled over their new destination, a definite frown marred her lips.

"You dragged me to a statue?" Rei questioned, her voice drier than the middle of the Sahara. If this turned into some lame practical joke she would not be pleased. The hump-backed, one-eyed, horribly ugly statue of a witch appeared to look at her with an air of superiority, as if to say, _At least I'm not a dunce like you_.

"Not just any statue," Sirius corrected, so matter-of-fact that Rei decided to trust him. The black haired man withdrew his wand, and within moments she was being asked to climb through the passage that had opened at his persistence. Though she liked this plan less and less, Rei was committed at this point, so she climbed into the open chute and held in her scream while she slid down.

"I can't believe this." Rei pulled her long raven locks back into a ponytail and grumbled crossly as she crawled after the enthusiastic Sirius. About the time she was considering hitting him over the head for dragging her through this ridiculous tunnel, he stopped. As he lifted through a floor hatch and extended his hand to help her up, she turned to him with wide eyes. "Are we breaking in somewhere?"

Sirius pressed a finger to his lips and shook his head, closing the open square in the floor behind them. They both climbed the staircase, and when they reached the door at the top, the grey eyed man offered one more grin before he placed a hand on her waist and pulled her into the crowd of people on the other side. The store owner gave them a curious look from the counter but said nothing.

Rei felt her heart hammering into her ribcage uncomfortably, and she glared at the reason with gusto. He appeared to ignore her as his hand moved from her side to grab her hand and pulled her toward the shop exit. Her violet eyes skimmed over the shop's sign, _Honeydukes_, before she turned back to Sirius expectantly.

"Welcome to Hogsmeade."

**xXx**

Michiru walked idly down the halls of Hogwarts, headed for the grounds. Haruka trailed behind her at an equally slow pace. Neither was in a hurry to join the commotion in the Forbidden Forest, but both knew the necessity.

"It's quiet." Haruka observed, her eyes roving the stone walls of Hogwarts. Michiru nodded her agreement, wondering the reason for the obvious absence of students. They walked a little ways more before she responded.

"Maybe they're on holiday?" Michiru suggested. Haruka shrugged in reply. They reached the Entrance Hall, and that's when it happened. Michiru froze up completely, and the inattentive Haruka bumped into her back. The sandy blonde woman looked at her lover's rigid posture in concern, and stepped around her to identify the cause.

When her dark blue eyes met a pair of rich garnet, her body seemed to lock up in a similar fashion. It took a moment to unstick her throat enough to speak, in which the subject of their shock simply stared idly, impassively. Her voice sounded pathetic to her own ears as she stuttered, "S-Setsuna?"

**xXx**

I have to be at work in less than an hour. Gah! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, thank you if your reviewed last time, and please review! I'll try to reply to reviews when I get off this afternoon!

**Also, are you going to include people like Seiya, Taiki and Yaten? Or is it just the main senshi? Will you mention other characters in BSSM even in passing?** I may include some more minor characters later on. It depends on whether I find a place for them, sometimes things like that just happen. :)

Next chapter, depending, may be devoted to the past events so relating to Setsuna. Hopefully it will come sooner than this chapter did. Again, I have to run. I apologize for minor mistakes, no time to reread. Review!

♥SachiNyoko♥


	8. Chapter 8

**Four Years Prior**

It's mid October. Chilly winds spin the leaves that cover the ground into a colorful swirl before they drift into stillness once more. The breeze tugs the locks of her forest green hair into its dance, but she doesn't bother trying to brush it from her eyes. Instead the strands flutter around her freely, while she looks over her new home.

_Cozy_, she mused. She reclaimed the bag dropped at her side and made her way through the door for the first time. The home held the aura of emptiness. No one had frequented the abode for many years, just the way she would prefer.

A young girl filed into the entrance hall behind her, pulling her smaller trunk along, and pushing wild locks of ebony away from her face. She said nothing, her indigo eyes absorbing the new house with a size less fondness than her older companion. Without consulting they picked their rooms, and convened back on the porch to watch their furniture being moved into the house for them.

"Oi! Chibiusa!" They both turned. The woman remembered thinking, in that moment, that she had set her sights on a pair of angels, a mirage. A girl, similar in age to her ebony haired cohort, sprinted onto their porch in a flurry. Her cotton candy hair pulled out of her face, into two oddly shaped cone buns. When she looked up and smiled ear to ear, the woman gave a start. Her eyes were the color of blood.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Chibi, what were you thinking?" At first glance, this girl passed as ordinary, but on closer inspection, it was plain that the opposite was true. Her heart shaped face contorted with the scolding frown she sent the younger girl, but when she met gazes with the garnet eyed woman, a smile turned it warmer than the August sun.

"Forgive us for intruding. I am Usagi Chiba and this is my daughter, Chibiusa." She held her hand across the space between them, her sapphire eyes shaming the sky in their brilliance. The strange cone buns that the young girl, Chibiusa, sported must have been inherited, for Usagi's golden hair was pulled into similar round buns.

"I'm Setsuna, and this is Hotaru." Setsuna felt a warmth coarse through their contacted fingers that spread through her whole being. Usagi retracted her hand and glanced through the door to their still empty home.

"It looks like you haven't gotten much set up yet. Why don't you join us for dinner?" The invitation threw the garnet eyed woman off, and she figured it showed on her face. The welcoming smile left the other woman's lips as she turned the red of a ripened cherry. "Oh, forgive me, I'm being too forward. I didn't mean to offend you in any way."

"No." The porch seemed to still as the word escaped her lips, probably sounding harsher than she intended. Setsuna attempted to focus on her conversation with the young woman, but for some reason she could not stop her gaze from falling on the child's eyes. So unnaturally scarlet as they danced innocently between the two adults, in wait for the next snippet of conversation. She was completely entranced.

"What I mean is," Setsuna began again, this time gentler for the anxious expression lining Usagi's face. She met those blue eyes, sparkling and shifting like waves in the ocean, and wondered. "We'll gladly accept your invitation, and thank you kindly for offering."

A relieved smile broke over her face, before she held out her hand for her daughter to take. As the child's smaller hand slid into her mother's Setsuna realized it was impossible to tell which of the two was paler. This preceded the sudden epiphany of Usagi's young age to her daughter's, and quickly assumed that the blonde was not the biological mother of Chibiusa.

"Mealtime is in an hour then, and you can meet my husband." The smallest, fondest of smiles appeared on her face as she led the pink haired girl down the stairs, to the adjacent house. The only other house for miles, surrounded by rolling hills and waving meadows. Setsuna observed the two, hand in hand, sharing their fair skin and their mesmerizing eyes.

In precisely one hour, Setsuna led Hotaru up the stairs, unto the porch of their new neighbor's home. The young girl kept her fingers entwined in the fabric of her skirt and her indigo eyes on her shoes. After knocking, they waited patiently on the stoop as twilight descended around them. A short moment later the door swung open, and those blood colored eyes sent a jolt through Setsuna before she could catch herself.

"Ah, you're here!" Chibiusa greeted. Her voice flowed with enthusiasm only a child could muster. She beckoned the duo inside and shut the door, just as a tall man stepped from the kitchen. Setsuna looked him over, thoroughly perplexed. She expected meeting the young girl's father may solve the mystery around her strange coloring, but it did anything but.

She could tell the man was older, moderately more so than the young blonde Usagi. As much as ten years, she wagered, and well enough to be Chibiusa's real father. Yet his hair, the color of ebony, and his eyes, the deepest midnight blue, gave nothing to the girl's crimson eyes and cotton candy hair. Realizing she must be rudely staring, Setsuna composed herself and offered a polite smile as Chibiusa introduced them.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Setsuna." He extended his hand, and she shook it. In comparison to Usagi's warmth, he felt absolutely cold.

"And you as well, Mamoru." She replied. They followed him as he invited them to the dining room. Usagi, just finished setting the table, smiled kindly and bowed.

"Thank you for coming."

**xXx**

Setsuna eased into the rocking chair, her back molding to the varnished wood surface with ease. Usagi, already settled in beside her, closed her eyes and pressed her feet against the porch to gently rock herself back and forth. The sound of Chibiusa's steady laughter drowned out any sounds that the night beyond might offer as it filtered through the window behind them. Though softer, Hotaru's could still be detected.

Turning her garnet eyes, Setsuna observed the peaceful expression that highlighted the younger woman's face. Her smile fluctuated as the laughter grew and ebbed, her happiness proportionate to that of her daughter's. Then, quite suddenly, she parted her eyelids and met Setsuna's gaze head on. She felt slightly uncomfortable, like she'd been caught staring, but neither blanched nor turned away. Those blue eyes held her firmly in place.

"She isn't my daughter." The dark haired woman felt like a bolt of lightning struck her. She jumped in her seat, shifting her wide eyes in the opposite direction. It had been a while, years perhaps, since the last time she blushed, but she could feel the heat on her cheeks now.

"I--" The sound of Usagi's tinkling laughter ended this flood of emotion as quickly as it began. Setsuna turned in her chair to face the blonde woman again, her expression fixed in an amused smile.

"I'm sorry, I didn't say it to fluster you. Usually it's the first question anyone asks when I introduce us." A new emotion flickered over her face as she drew her knees onto the chair. Her bare toes curled over the edge of the seat as her tiny frame fit into the position with ease. "Back on the porch, when you didn't say anything, I was grateful. Chibiusa, she's a little wise beyond her years. She knows I'm not her mother, but I know that hearing it constantly must hurt her as much as it does me."

"Is Mamoru...?" Setsuna couldn't formally end the question. It felt rude, prying into someone's life whom she'd only just met. Usagi smiled, her head inclining gently in a nod of confirmation.

"He is. I've met her real mother too." The blue eyed woman let it hang for a moment, twirling her blonde hair around her fingers distractedly. "She has black hair and brown eyes."

"Mama!" Chibiusa appeared on the porch then, Hotaru just behind her, the screen door slamming intrusively behind them. The young girl reminded them of her startling pink hair and red eyes as she approached her surrogate mother. Usagi nodded her head, permitting her to speak. "Mama, can Hotaru stay over tonight? Please?"

"I think it would be better if you asked your father. He's the one who has to work in the morning, hmm?" The young girl pouted, indicating this was the situation she wanted to avoid. Usagi only smiled at her, and continued, "Of course, maybe Hotaru should get permission first."

They collectively turned toward the small girl, who reddened under such attention. Still, she looked to Setsuna with a bit of hope in her eyes. "If it's alright with Mamoru, then you may stay."

The woman went rigid when Chibiusa hugged her, saying thank you over and over.

"Chibi, come here for a minute," Usagi called before the pink headed girl could rush back in the house to find Mamoru. The woman unfolded her legs from the chair and pulled the approaching Chibiusa into a hug. Still, Setsuna didn't miss the discreet whisper into her ear, though she couldn't decipher the words.

"Okay, Mama." The girl ducked out of her embrace and went for the door again, catching Hotaru by the arm and coaxing her along. The screen door banged closed once more, leaving the two women alone again.

"Sorry, she can be a bit forward. She's used to hanging all over me." Usagi said apologetically, smiling at Setsuna. The dark haired woman figured then that the whisper must have been a reprimand, and she shook her head lightly.

"It's alright."

**xXx**

Two months passed so quickly in the presence of Usagi and her daughter, Chibiusa. Setsuna reflected silently as she swayed in the rocking chair now placed on her own porch. In her mind she could see the face of Hotaru, smiling and laughing.

_Happy_, Setsuna thought, the smallest of smiles highlighting her face. _Maybe we both are_.

It was true, being in the same room as Usagi seemed to lift her spirits some. So many secrets had been brought to light since that first night when they shared a meal over the family's table. Yes, in fact, her deepest and darkest secret. But perhaps, at the same time, Usagi's and Mamoru's darkest secret came to light at the same time.

That night on the full moon when she went to feed, that's when it happened. It all came so fast. Just as she claimed her victim, she felt the tingles of nearby danger drown her senses. Then Usagi stepped out, her blue eyes wide in the night, looking more like the midnight sky than the ocean. Setsuna knew the blood still dripped down her chin, the dead carcass still caressed in her hands. Her heart dropped.

Yet, Usagi did not appear very afraid. Her pale hand shot out to her side, and that's when Setsuna realized the source of her earlier apprehension to danger. The huge werewolf stared at her, with the most familiar set of midnight blue eyes, its black fur rippling in the moonlight. They both retreated for the night.

The next morning, Setsuna walked across the short distance that separated their houses to find the quiet couple already there, waiting. Mamoru was a werewolf, she a vampire. That much was obvious. Usagi threw the sucker punch when she announced that she was the 'Keeper of a Secret Language.' She hadn't gotten much into the explanation of what that was when Setsuna regained her bearings.

"I am too." She could still remember, to the slightest detail, the expression that overtook Usagi's face in that moment. Much like that fateful first night, Usagi jumped forward and pulled Setsuna into a tight embrace, just like her daughter had. It wasn't long after that Chibiusa and Hotaru admitted that they'd already shared their secret, that they were Keepers as well.

"Morning," Hotaru's voice brought her from the memory to which she often indulged. The pale, onyx haired girl stood on the very top step and closed her large indigo eyes, allowing the wind to caress her. Her hand reached up and tucked strands of her hair behind her ear, before she suddenly smiled. "It's funny, you chose this place to get us as far away from people as possible, and it brought us closer to people than we've ever been before."

Chibiusa came on the porch then in her usual boisterous fashion, dragging Hotaru off before Setsuna could respond to the child's surprising insight.

**xXx**

Moments after that, in the remaining year that passed before everything fell to pieces in her hands, like a piece of glass crumbling to sand and slipping between every crack, never to return. She could remember each moment separately to surprising accuracy as the happiest time in her life. She hadn't fed on a human victim in over two years, the only goal she ever had in life.

Looking back, she'd let her guard down too far.

Her happiness blinded her, made her forget that she was cursed. Then that night, as Chibiusa and Hotaru played cards on the living room floor wearing the matching nightgowns they'd bought when they were out with Usagi. It hit her, so hard, as she stared at the young girl's neck. She had forgotten to feed the previous night.

The need for blood, the thirst for human blood invaded her senses. Turned her blind to anything but the hunger and it overcame her. Hotaru did anything she could to fend her off, but Setsuna was stronger than the young girl in every aspect, and she slammed into the wall, unconscious. Chibiusa peered up at her, not frightened, still trusting.

"Setsuna?" That innocent trust became her downfall. Setsuna sank her fangs into the creamy white neck, hearing the slightest gasp of pain escape the child's lips. Yet just after she began, she saw those eyes, blood red even as they dimmed, she dropped her. Chibiusa hit the floor with a quiet thud, and lay there motionless, two holes in her neck glaring up at Setsuna angrily.

The woman did the only thing she knew she could; run for Usagi. The blonde woman arrived in the room faster than anything she'd ever seen. She cradled Chibiusa's face in her hands, felt for her pulse, and shifted her eyes to the still unconscious Hotaru. When she successfully woke the dark haired girl, it was her who placed her small hands on Chibiusa. It was Hotaru who pushed all the energy she could into her best friend.

It was Hotaru who righted the wrong she had done.

**xXx**

"Setsuna, please!" The called upon woman shut her garnet eyes, hoping in turn to close her ears to the pleading voice that echoed behind her. But instead she turned, accepting her punishment. Chibiusa looked up at her, her blood red eyes overflowing with the tears that haunted her voice. She tried to reach out to the woman, but Hotaru held her firmly in her arms, her own pleading eyes on Setsuna.

"Please don't go. I'm not mad, it's okay." Chibiusa visibly shook, her voice cracking over the words as she spoke them. "Please don't leave."

"It's not okay." Setsuna said, contradicting the young girl as another sob escaped her throat. She might have eased the pain, might have explained she was leaving to protect them, told them she loved them both too much to see them hurt again. But she didn't. She wanted them both to hate her, to forget her, to never think of her again.

In a flash, Setsuna was gone, without as much as a good-bye. Chibiusa collapsed against Hotaru with her grief, and the two girls cried themselves to sleep.

**Present Day**

Setsuna sat now, looking across the room at a woman who had captivated her so wholly the first time they met. She realized immediately that it was not the same person she used to know. Those eyes, once as brilliant and shimmering as the ocean, held none of their former light. They locked onto her garnet colored, unabashed, unhesitant.

"Why are you here, Setsuna?" Usagi finally asked. Even her voice resonated different. Not with happiness, with love, but exhaustion, perhaps a touch of grief. She had heard in passing what happened with Mamoru, and that combined with the pain that she herself had caused must have broke the vivacious spirit that the blonde used to hold.

"Chibiusa wrote me. She told me what was going on. She asked me to come." The excuse sounded feeble to Setsuna's ears even as she said it. She couldn't count the number of owls that she received since she left that day, the stack of letters she never opened.

"That's not what I meant." Usagi retorted, her voice sharp. It was a tone unfamiliar to the dark haired woman, and it stung. But she deserved it, Setsuna told herself inside her head. _I deserve the hostility, the hatred_. When the pigtailed woman spoke again, it was softer, full of remorse, and she found that stung even worse. "I meant why did you come to me? Why not Chibiusa, or Hotaru?"

"I came to apologize. I came to you to ask your forgiveness first." Setsuna replied, unable to raise her voice above a whisper. Her gaze stayed on the floor as the silence became her only answer. The few moments that passed felt like a whole eternity.

"Setsuna, look at me." Obediently, the older woman raised her head and looked at Usagi. With a tempered calm, she began, "I am not the one you owe an apology to, and I think you know that well. If you had come to me afterward, you would have known. I could have forgiven you easily then. But you left. I had to watch these past years as Hotaru slowly fell apart. I had to listen to Chibiusa cry herself to sleep at night and whisper how she never blamed you, asking why you left."

Usagi paused, her emotions causing her voice to tremble. When she sufficiently calmed herself, she continued, "_I _had to watch as those two girls suffered and lost their innocence. I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive you for that, Setsuna."

The blonde finally stopped her words, watching as the tears slowly fell down Setsuna's face. Then she softened, "But forgiveness comes easier for children, doesn't it? Go find Chibiusa and Hotaru. Apologize to them like you should, and I'm sure that they will readily welcome you back, but I won't give you the comfort."

Knowing that everything Usagi said was true, she rose from her chair without an answering word and left the room. As the door softly closed, Usagi dropped her head in her hands and cried harder than she had in the past two years.

**xXx**

And so, the chapter devoted to Setsuna's history with Chibiusa, Hotaru, and Usagi. I know I didn't mention her relationship with the other senshi but at this particular moment this past seemed more important. Next chapter will throw us back into the storyline, and hopefully this didn't make you too sad.

Let me also warn that there are other things about Setsuna's past that will be revealed later on, in case you were wondering about her relationship with the vampires and such. I'm sorry if you expected the Setsuna meeting with Hotaru and Chibiusa this chapter, but hey, it's something to look forward to next time.

Thank you all for your patience with me, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review!

♥SachiNyoko♥


	9. Chapter 9

Chibiusa was the one who spotted the creature. Scurrying quicker than a mouse it weaved through hall after hall on its knobby little legs, clad in some dirty, unidentifiable garbs. The thing sported eyes larger than they'd ever seen on such a small living being, and long bony fingers that curled around the stone corners as it peeked to make sure the coast was clear.

For some reason or other, the cotton candy haired child felt the two of them should follow this strange entity. So now Hotaru found herself being dragged onward by the enthusiastic Chibiusa.

Around the next corner, they nearly skidded with the abrupt stop. Hotaru gasped for air, thankful of the reprieve, and watched with her companion as the little creature approached a large painting of a bowl of fruit. Reaching out one of its oddly long fingers, it tickled the pear just barely within reach. The two gasped as the frame swung forward. The tiny one was gone before they could blink.

"Chibi, I don't think we should," the obsidian haired girl began as Chibiusa pulled her toward the painting. She did not heed her warning, and stood in front of the colorful fruit, her face contorted in concentration. Slowly, she reached her finger out and mimicked the move she'd seen moments before. Instantly the painting jumped forward, and she ducked behind it, leaving Hotaru no choice but to follow.

"Oh!" The two girls stood rigid as the frame shut behind them, eyes wide at the stretch of new world that stood before them. Chibiusa grabbed Hotaru's hand, tugging it and pointing like an excited kid in a candy store. "Hotaru, isn't it wonderful? What are they?"

"I don't know," she responded, shaking her head. A smile of amusement danced over her lips. Suddenly, the creatures running to and fro around the large kitchen finally noticed them, and several came rushing around the girls' knees.

A flurry of things happened at once. Chibiusa and Hotaru found out that the mysterious beings were actually house elves, bent on serving their master's every will. They learned that this large group kept Hogwarts tidy and prepared all the meals for those that attended. Then they were pressed to eat and drink, being shoved into seats and supplied almost instantly with plates of delicious looking food and mugs of drinks.

"Wow, this is so neat," the ruby eyed teenager declared, promptly digging into her food. Sometimes her similarities to Usagi were unnerving. Hotaru spun her fork in between her fingers distractedly, deciding those might not be the exact words she would use to describe their present situation. Several house elves stood around their table, oversized eyes twinkling excessively in the light as they stared the two down.

The painting across the room swung open again. House elves shifted and turned to see who else may be joining them. Indigo eyes looked up at the sudden hush in the room, and the metal fork clattered against her plate loudly. This successfully distracted Chibiusa from the sip she was about to take from her mug, and when she saw the source of the commotion, her hands went slack. The glass fell and shattered into a million dripping wet pieces against the floor.

Now house elves scurried around, grabbing up mops, brooms, dust pans, gloves. They formed an effective cleaning squad and the mess was gone quicker than either girl could relocate their voice box.

Finally, it was Chibiusa who choked out, "Setsuna?" The garnet eyed woman inclined her head in a positive answer, smiling slightly, sadly. Tears flooded the pigtailed girl's eyes as she jerked from her seat and sprinted for her, almost bowling her over with a hug. Hotaru remained rooted to her chair, shocked beyond words. "I'm so happy to see you."

"Thank goodness someone is," Setsuna replied softly, wrapping her arms around the younger girl in return. The two held each other, relishing in their reunion, no words being spoken. Then Hotaru regained her senses, rose, and joined them. House elves bustled around them, continuing their duties.

Setsuna found that the thing she had feared, the one thing she had been running from all this time, had been the thing she needed most of all.

Chibiusa felt the piece of her that had been missing, an empty, gaping hole in her heart, suddenly snap into place. Then and there she was whole again.

And Hotaru? Hotaru was redeemed at last.

**xXx**

"I'm a horrible person." Usagi spoke softly to the person who walked in after she heard the door close softly behind them. She leaned next to the window, her eyes set on the stretch of wilderness beyond Hogwarts grounds.

"Well, the rest of us are damned then." The other person joked, and Usagi knew instantly it was Minako. When her fellow blonde didn't respond, didn't return the joke with one of her own, Minako's lips tightened into a thin line. A solemn expression overtook her usual playfulness. "Usagi, what happened?"

"Setsuna came back." The pigtailed woman shook with her grief, induced by the garnet eyed woman, and her anger at herself for being so petty and weak. Swiping at her tears in frustration, she started when Minako's hand touched her shoulder and fell into her sister's comforting embrace. "Mina, I don't even think it's about her anymore."

"Then what is it about, Usa?" Minako inquired softly. It was strange for her, being on this side of the comforting when it came to Usagi. Usagi had insecurities, fears, heartache that she talked out, but Minako could count on one hand the times her sister had cried in her presence.

"It's me. What happened to me? Where's the person who would have forgiven Setsuna? Where's the woman who might have smiled and been happy and shared in the reunion?" She sobbed, clinging to Minako for support. Tears stung at her eyes now as the weight of Usagi's sorrow pressed upon her heart. "Did she die with Mamoru? Am I bitter now?"

Minako finally pulled away, and cupped her sister's face in her hands, thumbing away the tears. She stared into the older woman's face, her stormy blue eyes so full of confusion and pain. Collecting her words, she drew in a breath to steady her own emotion.

"Usagi," she began gently, "you are not bitter. It's true that you've endured so much in the past few years. You've stood strong during all of it, carried your pain, and Chibiusa's." Pausing, she made sure she held Usagi's gaze completely. "Yet I don't feel any hate in your heart. You're a bit more jaded now, and you're a lot more guarded, but you are not bitter. Understand?"

"Yes, yes," Usagi enveloped Minako in a hug once more, squeezing her as tightly as she could. "You are the best sister I could ever ask for, Mina. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Not much, that's for sure." Minako pulled away, grinning, as the door opened again. Makoto was the one to walk in, and she started at the sight of both of the blondes, the pigtailed one wiping hastily at her eyes and smiling.

"I wanted to talk to you," the brunette said, quietly. "If it's a bad time--"

"No, it's not. Minako was just leaving, right?" Usagi turned toward her sibling, who nodded once and left, sending one curious glance back at the two women. The door shut with a soft click, and Makoto walked past Usagi to take a place by the window. When she turned, she found that Makoto held the same troubled expression she had not long before. "What's wrong, Makoto?"

"Usagi, you remember...well, of course you do, it wasn't very long ago. Neither of us wanted to be here, right?" Both stood silent after the question, but she didn't respond, unsure if it was rhetorical or not. Then Makoto asked the real question. "Do you still feel that way?"

"Well, some things are different now." Usagi walked over and stood opposite Makoto at the window, staring out over the Forbidden Forest. "I still don't like the situation. I don't like that we've all been coerced into fighting Voldemort. I suppose, though, that it was inevitable we would be facing him. Plus, some good things have come out of it. Why do you ask?"

"What," Makoto paused. Usagi knew what was coming, but she was worried because Makoto rarely hesitated, even when it came to her emotions. "What if those you considered enemies, suddenly you're not so sure anymore."

The blonde reached out, her fingers brushing the other woman's arm. She felt inclined to touch her, because of the look in her eyes, like Makoto was simply drifting away. Her green eyes turned to her, finally, grasped in reality once more.

"You know that neither I, nor any of us would hold it against you. In fact, the Makoto I know wouldn't even bother seeking the approval of others. So I'm going to say what I think you came to hear." Usagi took a breath, and said, "Go with your heart. Trust in what you're feeling and forget about what we are, what we stand for."

"I can't do that," Makoto said throatily, unable to fully mask her emotion. "This is what we've lived for, what we've fought for all this time, Usagi."

"For what, Makoto? Because there was nothing else, because of who we are we had nothing else." The blonde placed her hands on the taller girl's shoulders, forced her to look at her again. "Nothing else matters but your happiness. I chose love once." Makoto winced, but Usagi just smiled. "I'll never regret it. You won't regret it, I promise."

The brunette threw her arms around the petite woman, and Usagi comforted her, held her tightly in an embrace. It was the comfort she had come looking for. "Thank you, Usagi."

**xXx**

"This is actually good," Rei commented between sips of butterbeer, trying to sound less pleased than she actually was. The warmth spread all the way to her fingertips, alleviating the chill that had reached her outside. Sirius said nothing in return, just sipped his mug and watching the crowds of the Three Broomsticks. Setting her mug back on the table, she followed his gaze to the strangers passing by. "It's weird for me, being around so many people."

Again she found herself pierced by his grey eyes. When he wasn't joking, grinning, Sirius had the most penetrating gaze. _Why did I even say that?_

"You talk to phoenixes?" Rei tilted her head slightly, onyx waves of hair falling over her shoulder, trying to determine the cause of that question. Very slowly she nodded, tense without really knowing why. Sirius took a long swig from his mug and wiped at his mouth distractedly. "What's that like? I mean, what do they talk about?"

Rei could have taken that offensively, received it as scorn, but when they looked at each other, she didn't. Though it would've been consistent with her temper, something in his expression told her that he was genuinely curious. At least not mocking her like so many others.

"You might be surprised. I think they understand humans better than we do ourselves," her intense violet eyes roved over his face, gauging a reaction, waiting. Maybe this was more a test than anything. He chuckled as he watched the butterbeer in his glass swirl. Her expression darkened, she moved to the offensive quickly.

"Actually that's pretty easy to believe." Sirius glanced up, a read between the lines sort of smile on his face. Rei's words caught in her throat and she gripped both hands around her mug, dropping her gaze to the table. A moment of silence passed before he spoke again. "What are you thinking?"

"That you're quite...unexpected." Rei looked up again, her eyes narrowed in thought. "Every time I think I've figured you out, you say the exact opposite thing than I expected." At his expression, she couldn't help but smile, even if slightly. "Don't worry, it's a good thing. I have a habit of expecting the worst, especially in men."

Her jaw dropped open and she flushed in embarrassment as Sirius laughed, deep and throaty. _Did I really say that? My God_. If she had her way, she would be bashing her head against the table at the moment. Why was she acting like Usagi, just blurting everything in her head without thinking?

"If it makes you feel any better, I probably would have lived up to those expectations at one time." Rei was distracted from her humiliation by this statement, observing how Sirius looked away again, nostalgic. She remembered what Usagi had told her once, in one of those moments when the wiser, more jaded woman showed through the blonde visage.

_Just because they aren't like you and me, Rei, doesn't mean that they don't have their own sadness, their own burdens to bear. _As they left the Three Broomsticks and walked through the shops, Rei reluctantly smiled at his jokes, his charm, but all the while wondered what burdens and sadness Sirius was hiding behind that handsome grin.

**xXx**

Ami knocked softly on the entrance before her, shifting gently from foot to foot, nervous. The deep voice called out for her to enter, she exhaled, and did so, closing the door gently behind her. The dark haired professor neglected to glance up at his company as he looked over the papers on his desk. Slowly she walked forward until she reached him, and cleared her throat softly.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you," he looked up suddenly, apparently prepared to tell off a student, but stopped when he noticed her. More anxious than ever, she could feel her cheeks start to heat, and pushed herself onward. "I realized that I was rude to you before. I didn't even introduce myself. I...I'm Ami."

She stuck her hand out, over the desk, trying to ignore the fact that it was shaking slightly. His dark eyes looked from the pale hand in front of him to her face. "Severus," he offered, shaking her hand briefly, but his dark eyes remained on her face. "Though, we were introduced while meeting with Dumbledore."

"I know," Ami nodded, a bit jerkily, "but that doesn't really count, since it was generalized and we didn't speak to each other." She was babbling, embarrassed and nervous, mentally questioning her sanity in deciding to do this. "Anyway, I wanted to say thank you again for letting me sit in on your class and, um," it happened; she froze.

Severus raised an eyebrow as the blue haired woman worked her mouth like a fish, trying to say something. "Just spit it out."

"Could you teach me?" Ami buried her face in her hands, her face turning a dangerous hue of red. When she gained her bearings, she went on, "I mean, could you teach me about potions? Like I said, I never went to a wizarding school and I, well, I was just curious." She finally made eye contact with him again, imploring, "You certainly don't have to."

Well certainly. Severus was heavily inclined to refuse, but before he spoke he considered what he was passing up. All the ungrateful adolescents that passed through his classroom not giving an inkling of a care to what they were learning, and here before him, a woman who never had that chance. A woman eager to learn, striving for knowledge.

"You come to my first class every morning. If you prove you're competent enough, I'll consider it." A smile lit up her face, turning her nervous expression into a glowing sun of happiness. He had never seen anyone so excited at the prospect of class.

"Thank you so much, Severus. You won't regret it, I promise." When she left, the room instantly dimmed.

**xXx**

"Setsuna, it is good to see you." Michiru breathed as she hugged the woman tightly, afraid she would simply disappear from her arms. Sure, Haruka and her had lead Setsuna to Usagi immediately. But they had been silent the whole way, the shock was so great.

But it had set in. Setsuna was home.

"Same for you, Michiru, Haruka. I heard about the merpeople. I'm so sorry; you must have been so hurt." The garnet eyed woman did not miss the slight wince the teal haired woman tried to mask, or the way Haruka's fists clenched at her sides.

"It's alright." Michiru pulled away, holding Setsuna at an arm's length, trying not to even blink should she vanish. "I've moved passed it for the time being. It pales in comparison to my happiness now that you're back. I can already see the change in Hotaru and Chibiusa."

Setsuna had to cover her own wince at that, but she did so gracefully. Neither woman noticed. They quieted for a bit, so many things to say but none coming forth immediately. Then Setsuna turned to the sandy blonde and asked, "What about you? Michiru and I are pretty useless in assistance to this campaign but--"

"Stop," Haruka cut her off, jaw clenched. The anger drained away from her features swiftly as it appeared, and she closed her eyes, trying to block the poisonous thoughts out. "You know very well that I relinquished my right to my abilities long ago in exchange to be with Michiru." Reaching out, she placed her hand on her lover's elbow, "I don't regret that."

"I know, Haruka, but have you even tried? Do you even know if you've really lost your Language?" Setsuna prodded gently, knowing her words had to be painfully cutting through the little insecurity that Haruka held. The prideful woman looked scorned, but Michiru moved closer and entwined Haruka's hand in both of hers.

"Setsuna is right, Haruka. Maybe it's time." Haruka pulled the smaller, petite woman to her and buried her face in the crook of her neck. Michiru held her without question, comforting her until she muttered the affirmative into her shoulder.

**xXx**

Hello all! I apologize for the, um, three month hiatus. This chapter is actually shorter than I intended, but enough happened, so I feel its okay. Let's play the guessing game and see if anyone can guess Haruka's creature. ;D I considered several options, but I always came back to my original instinct. It's just so perfect to me. Anyway, if you're bad at guessing like I am, you'll find out next chapter!

I sincerely hope you enjoyed, and please, review!

♥SachiNyoko♥


	10. Chapter 10

Haruka slowly bowed, her jaw clenched. She hated this part. She supposed her pride was to blame, and that's why this was her Language. Michiru waited at the castle, she had to come here alone. Her back stayed rigidly bent, eyes contacted, waiting.

The Hippogriff finally bowed in return, its orange hued eyes flashing as it did so. Haruka returned to her full height and slowly walked forward. "I'm extending a formal apology. What I did was nothing short of abandonment. I'm not asking for sympathy, only mercy. A battle is fast approaching, sides are being chosen, and I've been asked to seek your help."

As the Hippogriff turned its head, glaring her down with one eye, the sandy blonde kept picturing Michiru. She fought against her temper as she listened to the response wondering why her personality aligned so perfectly with this prideful creature that they would be destined to bump heads.

He flew off and Haruka headed back toward Hogwarts, needing her lover's presence to cool her anger. And when the teal haired woman turned toward her, smiled, the effect was instantaneous. "How did it go, Ruka?"

"Better than expected. At least they'll consider it." She fell into Michiru's embrace, taking in the soothing scent of her hair, the softness of her skin. For a moment they were back, before all of this started. Michiru's touch was like a cool stream running through her, pacifying the heat of her anger until she couldn't even remember what had riled her to begin with. They fit perfectly together.

"That's good." Michiru said softly. Setsuna approached them, clearing her throat softly to announce her arrival. Haruka pulled away and looked over the garnet eyed woman, before slowly nodding.

"I did as you asked. They said they would consider it." Setsuna nodded, her solemn expression not changing. The sandy blonde finally moved away from her lover's comfort and toward one of the few people she considered a friend. "Setsuna, have you even thought to beseech the vampires for help?"

She tried to speak delicately, but it was never one of her strong points. Setsuna positively grimaced, while Michiru gasped at the headstrong question and placed her hand on Haruka's elbow. Tense silence drifted around them, before the green haired woman finally spoke, her tone deliberate but patient.

"I think you've developed a misconception, Haruka. There are no vampires like me. Vampires are ruthless, they stand alone, the seek comfort in nothing or no one, not even each other. The most they will work together is for the sake of a hunt." Setsuna paused, and then she softened, "I would be the same way if Hotaru and I had not found each other. I may have saved her life, but she saved my soul. So understand that I am the only one of my kind, and even though I possess this Language, it cannot be used to change the ways of an entire race."

"Setsuna," the three women turned, startled, when Hotaru ran up to hug her surrogate mother. Setsuna appeared startled for a moment, but she smiled and returned the embrace.

"Hotaru, I thought you were with Chibiusa." The ebony haired girl pulled away, frowning slightly.

"I was, but Usagi came to get her. She said she needed to talk to her, it seemed important." Hotaru shrugged, and raised her indigo eyes to meet Setsuna's garnet. She couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the memory of their first meeting.

**Eleven Years Prior**

A lone figure stands in the darkened alleyway, her eyes glowing ethereally as she watches the people passing by. A smirk highlights the two sharp fangs that curve over her bottom lip, twinkling in the shifting light. Blood thirst turns her eyes into solid dark pools, devoid of any human emotion. Slinking toward the end of the alley, she waits for the woman to come closer, no companions, no one watching. Just as she passes the opening, two arms reach out and drag her into the darkness.

Slowly tearing through her carotid artery, she felt the woman kick and struggle as she becomes weaker, falling limp in her arms. Those dark eyes morph back to their garnet hue gradually, and that's when she heard it. Some part of her knew it had been there all along, drown out by her hunger. Dropping the woman in her arms, she stared down at the corpse indifferently as she pinpointed the location of the sound.

There again, on the other side of the dumpsters. A pathetic mewling, like an injured animal, petrified. In the blink of an eye Setsuna appeared in front of the source, her fangs poised, ready to kill. She stopped abruptly when the creature raised its head, a pair of wide indigo eyes going right through her, just a child. A little girl, no more than four or five, was huddled next to the large metal bin, her small face dirty and lined with tears.

"Are you going to kill me too?" The little girl asked, her indigo eyes unwavering, and no trace of fear in her voice. Her onyx colored hair fell in her face, a sharp contrast against her pale, translucent skin.

"No." The response came before Setsuna really considered the question. She had no qualms in killing humans, but there was something strange about this child. Plus, she had already fed for the night. "What are you doing out here alone? Where are your parents?"

"Dead. My mother died when I was a baby. My father died a few months ago. I'm Hotaru." The now identified Hotaru spoke of her family's death with little emotion. It was unnerving, even to someone like herself, a cold blooded killer. "Say, are you a vampire?"

"Shouldn't you be in an orphanage or something, kid?" That brought more feeling to young Hotaru's expression. She looked pained, and the tears that had almost dried up started again. Before Setsuna could say anything else, she heard a new noise in the alleyway. She leapt out of the way when she saw the movement from the corner of her eye. Regaining her bearings, she stared wide eyed at the creature that loomed over the little girl now.

"I was in the orphanage. They're going to kick me out now, though." Setsuna watched in fascination as little Hotaru stood and stepped from her hiding place, reaching a tiny, chubby hand up toward the horse-like being. She was further amazed when it bent its head down to meet her touch, rubbing its muzzle into the little girl's hand. "I hurt someone. It was an accident, I don't even remember."

"What are you doing with that creature?" Setsuna finally unstuck her throat to ask the question. Hotaru turned her dark indigo eyes on the vampire again, and so did the thing at her side, its eyes a blank, unseeing white.

"This is my friend, Ciaran. He's a Thestral. He told me that, he talks to me all the time. I started seeing him after my Daddy died." Hotaru dropped her hand and walked forward, toward Setsuna. The garnet eyed woman watched as she knelt beside the dead woman and gently closed her unseeing eyes. "Have you ever hurt someone without meaning to, Setsuna?"

Staring down at the young girl, she didn't bother wondering why she'd touched the corpse with such care, or how she knew her name when she was sure she hadn't given it. She had the strange feeling in the pit of her stomach that she had just met someone who would change her life. Her dark eyes jumped from Hotaru to the Thestral named Ciaran, taking up much of the alley with its impressive stature and looking at her with those soulless eyes.

"All the time, Hotaru. All the time."

**xXx**

Usagi stood nervously by the window, knowing that her daughter was watching her with those red eyes, wondering. She had plucked up the courage to retrieve Chibiusa fairly easily, but now asking was proving more of a challenge. The pink haired girl tilted her head, not accustomed to the anxiety she felt from her surrogate mother but recognizing it nonetheless. "Mama, is something wrong?"

"No, Chibi." The blonde turned, leaning her back into the stone wall and facing her daughter. She wouldn't be a coward, now of all times. "I've been thinking of telling Remus about my life. About Mamoru."

Chibiusa tensed and eased herself onto the bed, not trusting her knees to support her much longer. She wrapped an arm around one of the posts and stared at the floor, trying not to appear as shocked as she was. Sure she realized that her mother had been spending most of her time with the fair haired werewolf, but she just figured that was because he _was_ a werewolf. It never occurred to her that there was more to it.

"If you don't want me to, I understand." Chibiusa raised her scarlet eyes back to Usagi, surprised for a new reason. Looking into her blue eyes, she could see the insecurity that the blonde woman was so good at hiding. Shaking her head, Chibiusa gestured for Usagi to come and sit beside her. When she did, she grasped her hand in both of hers.

"Usagi, you remember when you and my Dad first got married, and I hated you more than anything?" Shifting her azure eyes, she winced but nodded. "I was just jealous. My Dad loved you so much that I thought eventually he would stop loving me. Then my real mom came and tried to take me, and I was so scared you and Dad would just hand me over because you had each other and didn't want me anymore."

Usagi interrupted Chibiusa by pulling her into an embrace. She was shaking, and Chibiusa smiled into her shoulder and she returned the hug. "Of course none of it was true. You showed me that. You told me that it didn't matter if I hated your guts or whose blood ran through my veins, you loved me and you'd never let me go, no matter what happened. I still believe that."

"It's still true, Chibi. It's always going to be true."

"I know that." Chibiusa pulled back and smiled. "The story belongs to you more than me, and you have every right to tell it. You don't need my permission."

**xXx**

Makoto sighed as she leaned against the tree behind her, looking out across the lake at the setting sun. Worry etched her expression; she had not heard from Zandra since she left. She knew the great dragon could look after herself but she still felt uneasy. That and she missed the comfort that came in talking with her companion; she was almost her best friend. Kaida whirled through her vision from time to time, chasing dragonflies and any other moving thing around Hogwarts grounds.

"Hey, you look troubled. Are you alright?" The brunette visibly jumped when Charlie addressed her. Her thoughts had distracted her to the point that she hadn't even noticed the redhead's approach. Frowning, she nodded to his question and focused her emerald eyes on Kaida. "She's really improving, huh? I think she's grown too."

"Yeah," Makoto agreed softly. "Hey Charlie, I've been meaning to talk to you." He turned back to her, fully attentive, his expression nothing short of perplexed. She pursed her lips as she battled against her pride in trying to find the right words. Uneasiness rippled through her and kept her from looking at Charlie while she spoke. "I wanted to apologize for a while now, for the way I treated you when I first came here, and the assumptions I made. It wasn't fair to you."

"You don't have to apologize." He cut through her words almost instantly. It put her off slightly, but she knew he must have gathered how hard it was for her to even muster the words. They stood in silence for several moments, watching the young silver dragon pounce on a stationary butterfly. Finally victorious, she munched happily on her treat.

"I'm not apologizing because I have to. I want to." Earlier hesitations had left her now, and the words came spilling forth. "When you've lived the kind of life I've lived, you always expect the worst in people."

Quiet plagued them yet again. Charlie, unsure of what he could say to that, said nothing. Kaida, as though sensing their sudden somberness, moved a further distance and continued at her games. Then, though every notion in his head protested against it, he slid his hand around her smaller one. She stiffened noticeably for a moment, but relaxed. "If you want to talk, I'll listen."

The sweetness of the sentiment might have melted her, but she was concentrating more on the warmth of his hand against her skin and the strange stirring it produced in her heart. "I was only eight years old when I found out I had weird powers. I fell out of a tree and managed to teleport myself to the safety of my bedroom. For a few years I kept it a secret, but I practiced all the time, teleporting farther and farther.

"Then, of course, some of the neighborhood kids found out about it. I lived in a small town, almost a village it was so tiny, and the people who lived there were foolishly superstitious. They came to our house demanding that I be sent off somewhere, their kids were in danger with me around. An argument started, things got heated, and then violent. My mother told me to teleport to safety, that it would be okay. But they were both killed."

Makoto paused, silent in the memory for a moment, then she went on, "Of course I didn't exactly get to safety. I happened to teleport right into a dragon's nest, and the mother was not too happy. That was how I learned about my Language, it spared my life that day. The dragon who took me in was an Antipodean Opaleye, Zandra's mother in fact. You understand why we're so close; we were raised almost like siblings.

"Of course, that didn't last either. Only a few years went by with us together. Zandra's mother was killed by wizards, harvested for potion ingredients and fashion accessories." The brunette's face contorted with anger, but it quickly gave way to grief. "That's why I refused to help before, and now Zandra herself has gone to seek help for wizards, the same breed who murdered her family."

Charlie pulled her against him. It stunned Makoto for a moment, and then she realized that she had been shaking with tears. She accepted the comfort even though her head was screaming for the opposite reaction. "Maybe it's not about the past to Zandra. Maybe she's doing what she can to protect the family she still has."

**xXx**

Ami sat in the very back, alone, trying to be as inconspicuous as humanly possible. Still the murmur through the classroom, accompanied by shooting glances in her direction, was no doubt a discussion about her. She had asked Dumbledore for the supply list given to all first year potion students and acquired everything she would need. Now she sat waiting for the lesson to start, picking at her clothes in an attempt to calm her shaking hands.

The door to the class swung open and Ami turned, expecting Severus and a reprieve from being the center of attention. She got her second wish but the entrant was someone reasonably more familiar to her. The violet eyed Rei offered a crooked smile as she slid into the empty seat beside the stunned Ami.

"I heard you were becoming a Hogwarts student and figured I'd join you." Any response the blue haired woman could have mustered was lost as Severus finally did enter the room, carrying a sweep of silence with him. His dark eyes scanned the room and its second unexpected pupil but he made no objection. The first fifteen minutes passed quickly through an explanation of the day's potion before the project began.

"Thank you," Ami said quietly as the two women moved to set up their ingredients. Rei shrugged the gratitude off and smiled with a bit of mischief.

"Usagi was going to come but I didn't think it would go over well if she started blowing up classrooms." A moment passed before they both started laughing. It didn't take long for the intimidating shadow of Severus Snape to descend upon them.

"I do expect the both of you to follow the same rules as the rest of my students." They quieted, apologizing. Still, when he moved on they shared a grin of amusement before potion making consumed all of their attention.

**xXx**

I must admit I was a little bummed that most everyone guessed Haruka's language correctly until I realized that it was a good thing. The fact that so many could guess means I picked well suited to her personality, right? Anyway, I swear the next chapter is going to bring us into the Mamoru and Usagi story. I have a good chunk of it written but I'm not sure how happy I am with it.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed despite my poor efforts in keeping up with updating. Every review is a prod to get me going again. I know this story has a lot of fans and I'm determined to finish it. I also promise some action soon. Voldemort won't stay quiet forever, right? Thanks for reading.

SachiNyoko


	11. Chapter 11

_I've been waiting for you to ask._

Sapphire eyes parted suddenly at the hungry howl that pierced the dimly lit darkness surrounding them. Glancing upward, the pale moon stared down as the only light, perfectly round. How had a month already passed? She could recall their sudden meeting as though it were yesterday, the unsteady motions in which they all joined a war.

Every hair on the back of her neck rose as the howl echoed across Hogwarts grounds again. Picking up speed, she relished the wind as it tickled her sweaty, flushed skin. The presence registered before she even heard the heavy footfalls closing in.

In one leap she was thrown to the ground. Warmth enveloped her on all sides, rippling fur, blocking out the struggling light of the moon. She met the glowing, feral eyes above her.

And she grinned.

**xXx**

Usagi stretched and fell into the waiting armchair, a towel wrapped around her still wet locks of hair. "Alright now, are you sure you're okay? It's only two days past the full moon." When Remus nodded, she smiled, "Well then, you kept your end of the bargain so I'll keep mine."

Throwing her head forward, Usagi unwound the towel from her head and shook her wet golden locks free. They fell down her shoulders in a tangled mess but she paid them no mind, instead locking gazes with Remus, pensive.

Slowly, she began, "I guess it really did start the day I was born. It was a full moon, of course. I suppose I should explain that the moment a Keeper dies, the next is automatically chosen. I don't know who was Keeper before me, only that they died that night and I was born four months premature, perfectly healthy to two muggle parents. Within a month of my birth they learned that werewolves existed in a very startling manner."

Usagi pursed her lips here, her azure eyes distant and unfocused. When she blinked again, the expression vanished. "I moved around a lot in werewolf communities when I was young. In my earliest memories, I cannot remember staying in one place for more than a few weeks at a time. I was twelve when I finally unearthed the truth about my parents."

**Flashback**

"—seems she wants to leave again. She refuses to settle down anywhere." The preteen Usagi shrunk back further against the wall, watching the tall figure move in and out of her slit of vision. Only a small crack in the open door allowed her to see into the room, but that was fine, she could hear the conversation perfectly.

"Yes, yes they told me already." The weary voice of the clan leader was followed by a gentle rustling. She watched him rise from his seat and then disappear from her sight, probably to the window. "There's another community south of here. It has a few children; maybe she'll like it there."

"You still refuse to admit you made a mistake." Usagi eased closer to the door, eager not to miss a single word. "You should have never stolen her from those muggles. She would've grown; she would have come to us on her own. You went against the customs and now you're paying the price in her restlessness."

"I believe we've had this conversation plenty of times before." His voice was cold. Usagi felt the shiver run through her. _Your parents are dead, Usagi. I am your father now._

"On top of that, our sources tell us the second child they had, the other girl speaks a Language as well. It's never been heard of, two muggle parents birthing two of the Keepers."

"What are you doing out here?" Before she knew it the hand had encircled her arm, shoving her through the now wide open door. The two looked up from their conversation, startled, at the shaking sobbing mess that was Usagi.

"Usagi--"

"You lied!" The blonde jerked her arm free of the woman who had exposed her and pointed an accusing finger at the elderly man who stood across from her. "You said they were dead! You told me you'd saved my life! I have parents, I have a sister."

She hugged herself, the grief ripping through her small form like a tidal wave.

"I've loved you, Usagi, I've given you everything. Those muggles would have never understood you. They had their second child only a few months after you left." The man stepped forward, reaching his weathered hand to touch her, "Did they really even love you if they were able to do that?"

"Don't touch me," Usagi stepped backward, her blue eyes swiveling around the room. A rabbit trapped by wolves. "I hate you. All of you. I'm leaving."

She turned and fled, back to her room. Throwing everything that meant anything to her into her bag, she ducked out of the room and went searching for money. She would need money. She stuffed every last bit of it she could find greedily in with the rest of her belongings.

They tried to stop her, but it was pointless. Every hand that touched her, she simply lashed out with her powers, her Language, her unique power over them and they fell to the floor, unconscious. It would be several hours before any of them woke, and by then she would be long gone.

**One Month Later**

Usagi stared as the bags rotated in front of her eyes. All of these muggle contraptions confused her, but it had to be done. They'd track her down in an instant if she used magic. She'd laid low for a while, converting all of the money she'd taken into muggle currency, but no one in this place, this airport would sell a skinny twelve year old a plane ticket. So she'd waited outside until she found someone that would buy it for her, ensuring they could have whatever of the money was left over. She didn't even know how much it was, it didn't matter.

So she'd pretended to be the man's daughter, just flying out to London to stay with an aunt and uncle. Of course they'd be waiting to receive her there. The lie was so easy, so convincing, that soon she had the ticket clutched in her hand with the dark haired man walking away, counting the money in his hand with a warped sort of smile.

Usagi thought then that she hated all adults.

Finally her worn out bag rotated into view, holding everything she owned. She reached for it, ignoring the glances she kept receiving. Adults all around her pretending to care, giving her worried looks. But no one said anything to her; they couldn't be bothered of course.

"You're Usagi?" The blonde turned around, startled at hearing her name. Her large sapphire eyes were widened, but they narrowed as they fell on the man who stood there. Long grey hair, golden eyes flashing down at her, and the mouth twisted into an arrogant smile; a werewolf. Carelessly, he added, "You're skinny."

Usagi puffed up with anger at this, though she knew it was true. Her limbs were long and skinny, her skin paler than the moon itself, she was practically skin and bones. But it was still and insult and she was infuriated that she'd been tracked down. "No one asked you. You may as well leave because I'm not coming with you."

Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and dashed away. If any of those bothersome adults had still been paying attention, they may have thought the girl simply disappeared, and the man right after her. Usagi didn't care if the muggles did see her at this point, getting away was a much more imminent concern.

The chase lasted upwards of an hour. He was the fastest werewolf she'd ever encountered by far or she would've lost him easily. Finally she made a bad choice of turn and came to a halt, her wide eyes fixed on the stone wall that blocked her path. She turned just as he appeared at the other end of the alley, blocking her only exit, panting.

"You are a real pain in the ass. I was sent to bring you back and that's what I'm going to do." Usagi stood straight and glared him down defiantly as he approached.

"I'm sick of you werewolves acting like you own me," her face twisted into a smile as he reached out and grabbed her arm. Her blue eyes locked on his golden as she said, "Do send them my regards."

A moment later she stepped over the unconscious werewolf and sprinted away again.

**End Flashback**

"You've known Fenrir that long?" The sudden interruption gave her a start. She looked at Remus and then away, thoughtful, before she shook her head.

"I wouldn't say that. I didn't see him again until my wedding day. He was the best man. It was an interesting reunion." Usagi grinned with her amusement, before continuing, "After that day, I practically became a muggle. I refused to use magic lest they managed to track me down that way. I moved around almost constantly. I managed to escape all notice for about four years. Then I met Mamoru."

**Flashback**

Usagi wiped her brow with the back of her hand and slung the used rag over her shoulder before lifting the tray of dirty dishes. Shoving her tip in her pocket, she turned to make her way to the kitchen and came face to face with her fellow waitress. Startled she nearly dropped the whole tray full of glassware to the floor. She gave a sigh of relief, knowing she'd most likely be fired if she broke any more dishes.

"Usagi, could you take my tables? I'm going to be sick," the redhead gave a look of sheer misery. Usagi nodded quickly and pointed toward the bathroom, not wanting to be the target should the girl decide to hurl on her then and there. Depositing the tray of dishes in the kitchen to be washed, she returned to the front and surveyed the restaurant.

It was early afternoon and painfully slow for business. She had no tables of her own after cleaning up that last one and not too surprisingly she had only acquired one from the hands of her ill coworker. She headed for it, taking in the dark haired older male and the little girl with pink hair. She blinked. _Pink hair?_

"Excuse me I'm going to be filling in for your waitress. My name is Usagi. Is there anything I can get for you?" She plastered on her best polite smile as she looked down at them. The little girl, no older than seven years of age, glanced upward and then shoved her glass forward.

"Refill."

"Usagi, manners please." The blonde had already nodded wordlessly and picked up the glass when he spoke. She turned to the man now, frowning and ready to give him a piece of her mind when she realized his midnight blue eyes were fixed on the pink haired child, his daughter. Odd that they should have the same name, she thought. He raised his head and smiled at her, "Sorry about that."

When their eyes met, his a stormy blue and hers a startling azure, she felt the glass slip from her fingers. The resulting shatter mercifully made her head turn downward, and she stooped to collect the broken glass with a muttered apology. Her hands were shaking when his covered hers, and she couldn't stop herself from looking up again. Their blue eyes clashed again, and Usagi gulped.

"You're her," it came as barely a whisper that she couldn't hear over the pounding of her heart in her drums, loud as a persistent drum. But she knew that's what he'd said, could tell by the recognition in his face, just like she knew instantly what he was. Werewolf.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She flinched out of his touch and returned to her feet, shards of glass gathered in her hands. Without a backward glance she rushed away, dumping the glass in the trash bin and untying her apron. Pressing it into the host's startled hands, she ignored his calls of protest when she exited the building and ran. Nothing mattered as much as getting away.

She didn't make it far.

**End Flashback**

"I'd known instantly that Mamoru was a werewolf, just as he knew I was the Keeper. He was ten years older than me. After he chased me down and convinced me to have lunch with the two of them, we talked for the longest time. He found out how I'd been living from place to place barely getting by and offered me a home." Usagi leaned back in her chair and smiled wistfully. "Skipping all insignificant detail, we got married less than a year later."

"And Chibiusa's mother?" Remus asked. She could sense his unease, it was palpable.

"I met her about a month after I moved in. She was obviously what the Japanese refer to as a half, part Asian part American. She was also one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen." Usagi sighed softly and closed her eyes. "Chibiusa was only three months old when her mother, Yuriko, found out that Mamoru was a werewolf. She up and left, not worried about him or her daughter. She abandoned them.

"When I met her for the first time, it was also the first time she had seen her daughter since then. She came demanding custody." Usagi snorted derisively, staring angrily at the wall. Remus imagined she was picturing the face of the woman Yuriko asking for the daughter she abandoned seven years earlier. "It led to a fierce court battle. Chibiusa hated my guts, but during that time when she needed someone to rely on, I was there for her and she finally began to accept me."

Pausing, she curled her legs against her and propped her chin on her knees. "The time after we were married was the happiest time in my life. I felt like the mistreated girl in a fairytale who was suddenly rescued by a prince. I became friends with Fenrir then, I met the other Keepers, and I met my sister. I was naïve. I thought troubles were over, that our happiness would last forever. Then the incident with Setsuna happened."

Usagi recalled these events with a steady expression, finding it easier to tell since she'd relived every moment so many times since Setsuna herself had returned. "I was uneasy when Setsuna left, hurt because Chibiusa was affected so deeply. But it was nothing compared to what came next."

**Flashback**

Usagi stood, leaning against Chibiusa's door with her eyes closed. She knew that the girl had finally submitted to sleep, her sobs had quieted several minutes ago, so she stood to full height and went to tidy up the kitchen. _Damn you, Setsuna. Did you have to leave them like this?_

The pigtailed woman rinsed the plate in her hand absently, thinking on Hotaru's disappearance a few days prior, the crushed expression on Chibiusa's face when she announced she would be going. She wished she had Mamoru with her now to talk to, but she knew he would be out most the night. They were still working hard to make sure no werewolves sided with Voldemort.

Placing the last dish in the strainer, she wiped the moisture from her hands with a dish towel and hung it over the oven handle to dry. That's when she heard the bang of the front door against the wall. Startled, she turned to the entrance of the kitchen just as Fenrir appeared there, breathing heavily.

"Fenrir?"

"Usagi, come with me," at her reluctant expression, he continued, "it's Mamoru."

The two disappeared from the kitchen so fast the untrained eye may have believed they'd vanished. Usagi stayed right on Fenrir's heels, her anxiety mounting. They stopped finally, several miles away at the house that Fenrir's pack used as a headquarters. She could feel her knees trying to give at the thick trail of blood that led from the entrance to the living area. Mamoru was sprawled over the couch, barely breathing, bleeding all over everything. They were trying to heal him, to no avail.

"Mamoru," Usagi heard the foreign voice that came from her then, but she couldn't dispel the emotion that choked her voice box. She collapsed as she reached the end of the couch, her pale hands resting against his face. His midnight blue eyes opened, barely, and he tried to smile through the pain.

"Usagi, you're here." He reached his hand to her and she grasped it, smiling too even though the tears were coursing down her cheeks. One of the healers collapsed with exhaustion and the others dropped their wand hands, resigned. Usagi turned to them, pleading with her expression, but they shook their heads.

"Of course I'm here. Nothing could keep me. You know that." She turned back, bringing his large palm against her cheek. "I love you."

"Usagi, promise me one thing." Usagi nodded, unable to coerce her vocal chords into cooperation, closing her eyes. She allowed his deep voice to wash over her, convinced in her mind that they were anywhere else but here, in this dark house, surrounded by blood and death. "Take care of Chibiusa."

"You should know better." The tears slid from her cheek to form tiny puddles in his hand. She unearthed her voice and spoke, "The two of you are the ones I love most. I would give my life for hers and you know it."

She pressed her lips to his palm, just below his thumb, trying not to submit to the grief that spread through her. They agreed to move him to the bed, so he would be more comfortable, and before Usagi followed she turned back to Fenrir. "Go to Chibiusa. If she wakes up, bring her here."

Curling up at his side, Usagi held on to him, knowing she could not fight the inevitable. One after the other salty droplets rolled over her pale skin and soaked into the pillow. "Of all the things I've ever felt, useless is certainly a new one."

"There's nothing you could have done to change it."

"I know," Usagi closed her eyes, hoping to ebb the flow of tears, even just slightly, "but what now? Chibiusa has had Setsuna ripped from her by unfortunate events, and Hotaru by her own will. Now she is going to lose you. Life has been decidedly unkind to her."

"She will survive. She's a strong girl, and she'll have you to help her along." She winced as he collapsed into a coughing fit, unable to speak for a few moments. "Just listen to her. She isn't a child anymore; circumstance has forced her to grow up too soon."

The door slammed open, revealing the cotton candy haired girl they had been discussing, her eyes already brimming with tears. A cry emanated from her as she threw herself at the bed, breaking down into sobs.

**End Flashback**

"We tried everything we could think of, but it was just meant to be. He passed away the next day, it was a miracle he held on that long. Chibiusa handled it a lot better than I thought. Minako came and stayed with us for a while, and after I finished the work Mamoru started with the werewolves, we kept to ourselves. Until now," Usagi added this last bit with a whimsical smile. "And that is my life story in a nutshell."

"You say it as though there's nothing out of the ordinary about it." Remus commented.

"Well, there's really not." She retorted, pushing her blonde hair out of her face. "I was kidnapped by werewolves, raised by them, ran away, fell in love, and almost lived happily ever after. It sounds pretty run of the mill to me."

They both chuckled, and then fell into silence. Remus's eyes caught hers, nearly pierced right through her, but she quickly turned away. "Does Chibiusa know that you're telling me all of this?"

"Yeah," Usagi smiled, only slightly, as she stared at her hands. "She told me it was okay, it was my story more than hers, but I don't know if that's really how she feels. We haven't talked about him much since he passed, really. It happened so suddenly. I mean, we both knew the work he was doing was dangerous but I never expected--"

She paused, looking up as Remus held his hand out to her, and identified the object he offered as a handkerchief. All at once she realized the tears were coming faster than she could ebb them, and instead of accepting the white cloth she buried her face in her hands. Remus moved to comfort her when the door suddenly opened, and they both looked up at the intruder, startled.

The cold, dark eyes of Severus Snape took in the scene with little interest before he said, "Dumbledore needs you in the Hospital Wing. Both of you. It's an emergency." With a swish of his long black robe, he was gone again, leaving the door open in his wake.

Usagi finally took the handkerchief and wiped at her face as she rose, looking decidedly anxious. She motioned for him to go ahead of her, he knew the castle much better than she did, and followed behind him without a word.

**xXx**

The anger in the room was palpable, and the main source of it was a green-eyed blonde with a fearsome glare directed wholly on Albus Dumbledore. The mediwitch known as Madame Pomfrey looked uncertainly around at the crowd that occupied her infirmary, wanting very much to protest but knowing that the headmaster had intended it this way. She couldn't object so she tried to busy herself with tending to the patient.

"This is your fault. You should have evacuated these kids when you got wind of this threat. " Haruka gave all she had in the effort not to yell, and the result was a suppressed anger laced through her tone that was more fearsome than if she'd just shouted. Michiru grabbed her hand and squeezed, gently shaking her head before Haruka continued.

"That's not really the point. You let the children leave school grounds." Makoto spoke next from her spot near the bed, watching as Hotaru finally lowered her hands and collapsed into a chair, exhausted. Chibiusa hovered beside her, looking anxious but unsure of how to help her best friend.

"The children always visit Hogsmeade at certain times through the year." Severus Snape commented dryly. He stood the furthest from the congregation, his expression dark as he watched Madame Pomfrey bustle about.

"Is there always a direct threat on your school and its students during these visits?" Rei nearly growled, glaring at the dark haired man from the opposing side of the room. Sirius was near her, frowning, but still looking oddly pleased that the anger had been directed at Severus.

"It's clear that my decision was reckless and irresponsible." Albus finally spoke up from a chair on the opposite side of the bed from Hotaru, his clear blue eyes never leaving the silent child in the bed. His tone was a tempered calm as he tried to turn the brewing anger on himself and quell the brimming argument. "I never dreamed anything would happen at Hogsmeade. I apologize."

"The one you should be apologizing to seems to be incoherent at the moment. Try again later." Haruka spoke again, her voice rising a few octaves but still just shy of a scream.

"Haruka, please." All heads turned to the pigtailed blonde in the corner, her voice slightly hoarse but easily penetrating through the infirmary. Remus stood silently at her side, and though none but Chibiusa were exactly sure what had taken place earlier in the evening, her eyes had still been noticeably red when she'd entered. "You aren't helping."

"The girl is going to be okay in a few days, maybe a week." Madame Pomfrey finally spoke up, trying her hardest not to sound nervous. She wasn't quite sure what to make of this group. Haruka chuffed in disapproval but refrained from speaking again.

"The students will be restricted to the castle, and only allowed on the grounds for classes. I think they should be accompanied by chaperones when they do venture outside." Albus sounded decidedly fatigued as he spoke. "As it stands, I don't see how we can evacuate the school and still plan to debilitate Voldemort."

"There should be a better organized defense in place around the castle." Severus put in his opinion once more, effectively flaring another ripple of silent anger through those assembled.

"I think you've been mistaken." Ami spoke first, squashing any expression of this outrage. None of them were willing to yell over her and her quiet voice, competing well with Albus's in the category of haggard. She sat to the side of the main group, her hands folded in her lap and eyes closed. After her statement, she opened them and focused her gaze on the still girl in the bed.

"It seems as though many of you have assumed that we are in total control of the creatures we share a Language with, as though we are royalty among them or something to that effect. It's not quite like that. Our Language is our connection. We respect each other. As Keepers we have asked a very great favor. I believe you are pushing us a bit too hard." Ami blinked rapidly, as though trying to dispel tears, before continuing, "We are putting our very lives, the world as we know it on the line for this. Please don't act as though we can simply snap our fingers and make everything work as you want it to."

"Ami's right. You don't seem to realize how much you're demanding." Usagi moved to place her hand on Ami's shoulder, and the blue haired woman offered a smile in return. "But in a sense you are right. We've been focusing on keeping the peace; perhaps we should try to establish a perimeter around the castle. It will space everyone out and hopefully prevent another incident like this one." Her sapphire eyes shifted, too, to the incapacitated student.

There was a small murmur of agreement before Makoto turned and exited the room. It seemed a signal for the rest of them to do the same.

**xXx**

Well I know you probably want to smack me, but try to understand that I agonized forever over this chapter. I literally trashed it and rewrote it three times. I think I'm sort of satisfied with how it turned out, but please tell me what you think. Trying to make more time for writing is getting harder but I'm still determined!

As usual I love reviews. :)

SachiNyoko


	12. Chapter 12

Chibiusa glanced up from her seat before a large ice cream sundae when the entrance to the kitchen suddenly opened hoping to see a familiar face. Instead for a moment it appeared that the portrait had swung open on its own. After it closed again, however, a dark haired boy suddenly materialized, pulling himself from under a cloak that looked to made of liquid silver. She continued to stare at this phenomenon until finally he noticed her.

As his green eyes fell on her face he laughed and Chibiusa realized with some degree of embarrassment that she'd been staring with her mouth open for quite some time. _But how often do you see someone invisible just waltz into the room?_

The pigtailed girl reminded herself that she was well versed in magic and tried to regain composure. She returned to devouring her ice cream, watching the newcomer being swamped by the usual overzealousness of the house elves as discreetly as she could through the corners of her eyes. Unable to hear the conversation through the general clamor, she was startled when the boy was shoved into the seat across from her at the table.

"Hi," she greeted automatically, "I'm Chibiusa." She observed his face turn a nice shade of red at being addressed before she turned her attentions to the cloak he still had in his hands. "Does that make you invisible?"

"Uh, yeah," he responded before falling silent again. Chibiusa frowned for a moment, before trying again.

"So that's how you got past all the guard dogs in the hall." Feigning renewed interest in her ice cream, she added, "I still didn't catch your name."

"Harry." She glanced up again, beaming despite the fact he still looked nervous.

"It's nice to meet you, Harry! What brings you to the kitchens?" Chibiusa dropped her spoon in her ice cream and devoted full attention to Harry again.

"Hungry, I guess. I didn't eat much at dinner." He shifted in his seat, but seemed to be relaxing somewhat in her presence, "You?"

Her red eyes dropped to the table and she unconsciously began toying with her dessert again. She didn't notice as some of the melted creation overflowed and dripped sticky dots onto the wooden surface. "I've got nowhere else to be. My friend is avoiding me, I think."

"You're one of the girls that were nearby Cho when she was attacked!" Chibiusa started at the sudden higher tone of voice he used with his revelation. She glanced up again at his green eyes, now wide with realization and shock.

"Cho? You knew her?" Harry nodded and she lowered her gaze once more. "I'm sorry I couldn't do anything to stop it. I was right there."

"There's no way you could have known it was coming. Don't worry about that." Harry insisted. Chibiusa smiled then, though it didn't feel very happy. She realized it probably didn't look very happy either.

"Some of my friends think it was meant for me and my friend Hotaru instead of your friend; that she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"How could you ever know if that were true?" Harry asked. Chibiusa shrugged, her mind filled with the angry Haruka, and Hotaru who had barely spoke to her since all this happened. Harry speaking again brought her back to the present. "You're one of those people who came here this year, aren't you? The Language people."

Chibiusa looked up again to study Harry's face. She still remembered the blonde boy that Hotaru had run into in the halls, and that he'd dubbed them freaks. But Harry looked sincerely curious, and he'd been nice to her thus far. So she responded, "Yes, we're called Keepers, or the Keepers of the Secret Language. But I think it's kind of a silly name, and really too long."

Harry laughed, and she felt her stomach go queasy with the noise, until he spoke again, "I know a bit about long titles myself. I've been called 'The Boy Who Lived' most of my life." He paused and shoved his messy bangs out of the way. Chibiusa studied the lightning-shaped scar that adorned his forehead with interest before he dropped them again and added offhandedly, "Hermione would be going bonkers right about now."

Deciding pressing him about the scar and his title would probably be rude, she decided to pursue the other route and ask, "Who's Hermione?"

"She's one of my friends and a total brain. She's been driving me and my other friend Ron crazy since you guys showed up. Apparently there is virtually no information about Keepers anywhere and she's suffering from her endless thirst for knowledge." Harry seemed a pleasant mixture of annoyed and amused with his friend.

Chibiusa paused again, twisting her hands in her lap as she watched her ice cream melt into oblivion, starting tiny puddles on the table top as it escaped over the side of the dish. She thought of her father who was killed while trying to help wizards. She thought of her beautiful Japanese American mother who had abandoned them both. She thought of Usagi.

"Maybe I could meet her sometime, and your friend Ron." The words tumbled out with the flash of Usagi's heart-shaped face in her mind. She glanced tentatively up at Harry to find him beaming at her with excitement, and it gave her a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"That would be great."

**xXx**

Hotaru sat on the ledge of the window, her small frame pressed against the glass. Every muscle in her body was lax, her hands resting limply in her lap, her breathing slow and shallow. She may as well have been sleeping. Dark violet eyes were looking outside, across the vast grounds that surrounded Hogwarts, though not really seeing anything there. Nothing of her outside persona gave allusion to the raging turmoil that was her mind.

In her head she replayed the scene over and over, the whole day. Like when they'd followed that house elf, Chibiusa caught wind of the excitement bubbling in the students. She poked around and found out about a collective visit to an all-wizarding village dubbed Hogsmeade. So the pigtailed teenager had sought out Hotaru and declared they simply had to sneak out with the rest of the students. The idea had seemed harmless at the time.

In fact it was great fun. They blended in with the horde of students quite easily, hardly anyone even noticed them. A great part of the day was spent exploring shops filled with wizard clothes and wizard candy, even a wizard pub. It could have just been an ill stroke of luck, when she thought about it now. They'd simply been in the very wrong place at the worst possible time.

Yet in her memory she could see the girl crumpled, screaming and writhing in pain. She'd tried again and again to remember which direction the attack had come from, if she'd caught the smallest glimpse of a face or a cloak or anything. But all she could see was the girl's dark hair replaced with cotton candy pink, her eyes a sudden startling red. Chibiusa had been a mere few feet away from the girl who was the victim.

"Hotaru?" The ebony haired girl started at the voice that cut through her thoughts, nearly losing her balance and falling off the window ledge. She turned toward Chibiusa, whose expression was as grave as she felt. "Is something wrong?"

"No," the response came automatically, and she turned back to the window with hopes that her friend couldn't detect the insincerity of it. Thus she missed the hurt that highlighted Chibiusa's expression for the briefest of seconds. "Why?"

"You've barely spoken to me since," Chibiusa paused as she sunk down on the bed near the window and wrapped an arm around one of the four posts, "Are you mad I made us go?"

"I'm not mad." Hotaru still didn't turn, still couldn't face her. In truth she'd been avoiding Chibiusa because every time she saw her, that same image filled her head; her friend on the ground, in pain. "What if we were the targets? Minako was attacked. We're the youngest, right? What if that curse was meant for me or you?"

"You can't think like that." Hotaru finally turned at the earnest tone in Chibiusa's voice. "Even if it's true we'll probably never know. Neither one of us was hurt."

"But someone was hurt." Turning her violet eyes toward the floor, she tried to stuff her thoughts as the familiar scenario played in her head again. "If we were the real targets then that makes it our fault."

"I don't believe that." Hotaru glanced up, startled, at the hard edge that had crept into her best friend's voice. The red-eyed teen was frowning, and then she continued, "The person to blame here is Voldemort, and the person whose hand raised the wand that fired that spell. If we doubt ourselves, he wins."

**xXx**

Haruka sat on the stone stairs that led into Hogwarts, her eyes turned out across the grounds with an expression of indifference. Yet she could feel the wind around her stir with the fierceness of her emotions, her short blonde hair tickling against her skin ever so slightly. She was waiting. She was angry.

Fists clenching in her lap, Haruka frowned. She didn't know why she was so irrevocably and undeniably furious. Perhaps because she was sitting here, waiting, relying on the Language and her creature to provide her with some saving grace of acceptance she wasn't sure she wanted. Maybe because she was here, smack dab in the middle of a group of wizards who she had spent her whole life avoiding at all costs, even choosing to recede into her life with Michiru, underwater, away from all human contact. It could have been the fact that she had warned Albus Dumbledore that he should evacuate this group of children from the school in the very beginning and now one of them had nearly died.

It's not like she cared about the girl. She didn't know her. Probably wouldn't recognize her if she was standing right in front of her at this point. But the attack brought to light everything that she had refused to acknowledge up until now. This was war. The people she loved were in danger. Hotaru, who she loved like her own daughter, had been devastatingly close to this attack. And what was it all for?

"The war would have reached us eventually." Her hands went limp as Michiru's voice drifted around her. The slender woman appeared beside her, resting on the stair and looking out at the same view that Haruka had been idly observing. As the sandy blonde watched her lover, she knew that whatever Michiru saw there was vastly different, that she regarded everything with a loving eye. Sometimes she wondered how they fit together as they did.

"How do you always know what I'm thinking?"

Without even hesitating, Michiru turned, smiled, and said, "Because I love you." Reaching out her hand, she grasped Haruka's in her own and said earnestly, "It hurts me to see you so upset. What has happened to bring us here has moved beyond our control. We will stand and fight; it's the right thing to do."

Haruka shifted her eyes back to the scenery, fighting the frown that touched her lips and hoping Michiru wouldn't notice. But she always knew. Her gaze finally caught the creature on the horizon, a mere speck against the blue sky, and she shifted to rise. "I'm glad at least one of us believes that." She shot Michiru what may have been a sad smile before she walked off for the forest.

**xXx**

"How are you feeling?" Usagi started, and raised her blue eyes toward the speaker. When she realized it was Remus, she relaxed again and continued picking at her food distractedly. It was early, so there were very few students in the Great Hall, but she'd been hard-pressed to sleep. Remus settled into the seat across from her.

"Right now decidedly useless," she responded as she mangled her scrambled egg and spread bits of it all around the edge of her plate. Her thoughts were on Ami, exhausted to her limits in the Forbidden Forest trying to sort through a mess no one should have to tackle. More to the point, her innocently surprised face when Usagi offered to help.

_Thank you, Usagi, but I think we've got it under control_. Usagi's hand froze over the plate. She couldn't blame Ami, no one could. If they sent Ami to speak with Voldemort the whole war may be over tomorrow. But she knew the truth of it, that she was the girl with the werewolves. No one else was going to trust her but her friends; it had always been that way. She was just angry at herself.

"I understand." She glanced up at Remus, wanting to be indignant, but stopping short at the echo of a memory that played across his features. His eyes were on the table, but focused somewhere far beyond it. Anything she may have said died in her throat and she resumed picking apart her breakfast in the silence. Maybe she wanted to be angry at Remus because he was the reason she had let her defenses slip. He had made her feel like a person again, and not just a Keeper. Not just the girl with the werewolves. "Did you ever meet your real family?"

Another jolt of surprise played across her features before she could catch herself. The she replaced it with a wistful smile. "No. Those words may have been said just to manipulate me, but they were true. My parents waited a couple months at most to conceive a new child after I was stolen. There was no family for me to go back to. Minako begrudges me this, but she has sworn never to tell them that I'm alive."

A silence drifted over them, before Remus said gently, "Maybe having Minako was the only way they knew how to cope with losing you." He paused, and then continued, "Or maybe she wasn't planned at all."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Just that you shouldn't pass up the chance to have a family. At least meet them; let them know that you are alive. Maybe meet their granddaughter." Usagi winced at that one, and Remus looked apologetic. "How does Chibiusa feel about her grandparents?"

"Mamoru's parents died when he was young. I've never asked her." The blonde gave her eggs one last look of disgust before finally pushing the plate away. She stared at the empty spot on the table in silence for a while, before saying, "Maybe you're right. I'll think about it."

**xXx**

"What's wrong?" Makoto turned her green eyes from Kaida to Charlie reflexively. She knew he was there. Hell, he'd become a near-constant companion over this past week or so, though she didn't want to admit it.

"I'm angry." She offered, turning her attention back to the ever growing baby dragon. Kaida had matured enough to no longer fit in the crook of her neck. She found herself missing the constant warmth, like a small hand pushing her gently and constantly forward. Kaida did not seem to be affected in the least, more rambunctious than ever, if not missing her mother.

In her peripheral she could see Charlie settling down in the spot beside her. Part of her wanted to stand up and leave, yet the other half wished he would reach for her as he had before. She contemplated this unique war with herself that only Charlie seemed to evoke. How could she be so sure with everything else and not with him? She couldn't even decide whether she loved or hated the conflict. "What for?"

"This situation, it's always made me angry. My friends and family in danger," Makoto felt her fists clench in her lap, "Hotaru could have been the one laid up in that infirmary. It just makes me feel sick to my stomach, the thought of losing someone else."

Charlie did reach for her, placing his hand over her clenched fist. "It's not going to go away, though, Makoto. I've learned that about this war, about-" He seemed to hesitate for an instant, and then continued, "about Voldemort. If you don't fight it here and now, it will find you eventually. He will find you eventually, and he won't stop until he destroys everything."

They sat for a while, his words settling in. Makoto swallowed her pride, mustering her resolve, and leaned against Charlie and closed her eyes. He moved his hand and placed his arm around her, falling into the new position seamlessly. Sure, she wanted to deny it, but it was already too late for that. She was attached.

"I know," she said finally, picking up the conversation as though nothing had changed. "I'm just angry." A smile came to her face, more amused than any other emotion, before she added, "It's what I do."

Before Charlie could react, Makoto suddenly sat up straight, her emerald eyes wide and fixed on the horizon. He stared at her in bewilderment as she seemed to bounce with her sudden excitement, until finally he made out the telltale dot in the distance. As Makoto's face broke into a dazzling, joyful smile, he recalled suddenly the first day he saw her, hair tousled by the wind, tumbling down from a giant Antipodean Opaleye.

Zandra lowered to the ground now, flanked on all sides by several breeds of dragons. He was at a loss for words as he took in the sight. Both Makoto and Kaida rushed forward, and a stunned Charlie watched the huge, regal dragon lower its remarkable head down to the brunette woman's level. She wrapped her arms around its muzzle as far as they would go, some secret conversation happening between them that he would never understand.

That feeling came back to him that he experienced on that very first day—he had just played witness to something ethereal, something beautiful.

**xXx**

Severus Snape eyed the blue haired woman in the back of his class with a fair share of skepticism. He wasn't sure she would continue to show up after her conflicting words during the disastrous meeting in the infirmary. Yet she had arrived, on time, still eager to learn, as though nothing had taken place at all. She had advanced up to the second year class and showed no signs of slowing progress.

But even he, who barely knew her nor really cared to, could tell that her foundation was wavering. At first it was just like a hairline fracture in a piece of fine glass, hardly noticeable, until it began to spread and spider web outward, consuming the entire piece.

He said nothing of it.

She approached him about some extra tutoring, if he didn't mind. That's how they had ended up alone here, settled into the silence. Her lithe hands moved over the potion ingredients laid out in her work space, brow wrinkled slightly and eyes narrowed in concentration. Severus simply observed, unable to point out any flaws though he loathed admitting it. Ami was quite possibly as bright a student as he had been back in his school days. _The Half-Blood Prince_.

"Are you angry with me?" Her soft voice, barely audible, shook him suddenly from his thoughts. She had not moved her eyes from the task in front of her, but the question had been unmistakable. He frowned but did not respond. After another spell of the quiet, she said, "You seem even more quiet than usual. I thought that maybe I had upset you the other day."

"Do you ever resent it? Being a Keeper?" Severus had deflected her question, he knew it, but he continued to watch as she froze, her hands hovering uselessly over the cauldron, face twisted in an innocent shock. It took mere seconds for her to recover, but he continued, "You've never lived a normal life. You could have gone to Wizarding School and easily been the top of your class."

Ami's face tinged pink with embarrassment at what appeared to be a compliment, though not quite straightforward. Still she considered it, and after a while came up with her answer. "It's true, I do wonder what my life would have been like had I been a normal witch, or even a normal girl." She paused to add another ingredient to her potion and focus on her stirring, clockwise then counterclockwise. "But nothing can come of wondering what might have been. Being a Keeper, sharing a bond with the Centaurs, it's like having a family that I know I can always come back to no matter where I go or what I do. It's home. I wouldn't trade it for anything, even the chance to be normal."

**xXx**

Rei and Minako are absent from this chapter so they will probably start off the next one. Bear with me, I will get this story written. Please review.

SachiNyoko


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